MLB Player News

Rooker went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Thursday's loss to the Angels.

Rooker's lone hit of the contest was a productive one, as he slammed a three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning to put Oakland on the board. It was the third long ball in the four-game series for Rooker, and he knocked in seven runs over that span. Rooker leads the Athletics with seven homers and 18 RBI on the campaign.

Ohtani (4-0) earned the win over Oakland on Thursday, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over six innings. He also went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two runs and an RBI at the plate.

Ohtani started out the game on fire, retiring each of the first nine batters he faced, including five by strikeout. However, he uncharacteristically unraveled in the fourth frame, hitting two batters, issuing two walks, uncorking two wild pitches and serving up two homers as Oakland put up five runs. To his credit. Ohtani bounced back by retiring six of the final seven batters he faced, and he was rewarded with a victory for his efforts. The two-way star contributed to his win on the mound with a big day at the dish, falling a homer shy of the cycle and nearly completing the feat when he fell a few feet short of leaving the park in the eighth inning.

Ramirez is not in the lineup Thursday against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's a lineup that is heavy on left-handed and switch-hitters for this matchup against ace right-hander Dylan Cease. Brandon Lowe will DH and Taylor Walls is at second base. Ramirez is sitting on a terrific .354/.417/.677 slash line through 72 plate appearances on the year.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a home run and three total RBI on Wednesday against the Athletics in an 11-3 win.

Ohtani got involved in the offense late in the game, singling home a run in the sixth inning and slamming a two-run homer in the eighth. The multi-hit performance was his second over his past four contests, a span during which he's gone 5-for-16 with a pair of long balls, five RBI and two stolen bases. Ohtani ranks second on the Angels in both homers (six) and RBI (16) through the team's first 25 games.

Alvarez (neck) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez will wind up missing the Astros' entire three-game series in Tampa, as he remains in Houston while he continues to experience neck discomfort, which he had been playing through for nearly a week. According to Rome, manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Alvarez is feeling "about the same" as he did Tuesday, which doesn't inspire much confidence that he'll be ready to play coming out of Thursday's team off day. Baker noted that before a determination is made on whether Alvarez will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, the Astros' medical staff will re-evaluate the slugger when the team returns to Houston.

Reyes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After being reinstated from the paternity list Monday, Reyes started at designated hitter in both of the first two games of the series in Arizona, going hitless across eight at-bats. He'll bow out of the starting nine for the series finale and will cede DH duties to MJ Melendez.

Belt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

With the Blue Jays and White Sox concluding their series with a day game after a night game, Belt and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier will receive maintenance days. Alejandro Kirk will get a day off behind the plate to serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter in Belt's stead.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Buxton looks to be sitting out for maintenance purposes while the Twins and Yankees conclude their series with a day game after a night game. Jose Miranda will step in as the Twins' designated hitter in place of Buxton, who has settled into a groove at the dish of late with seven hits -- including two home runs and three doubles -- over his last six games.

Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two stolen bases in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.

Ohtani reached base in the fifth via a fielder's choice and wound up stealing second and third but would not score. It was a quiet day for him otherwise, and he's now slashing .253/.327/.460 with five homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs and a 10:24 BB:K over 98 plate appearances.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run during Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Yankees.

The 29-year-old doubled and was stranded during the second inning, and he broke a 2-2 tie during the sixth with a 367-foot homer to left field. It's the first time since April 11 -- and only the third time all season -- Buxton has delivered multiple RBI in a game. He has a .244/.308/.463 slash line with four home runs, 10 RBI and a 33 percent strikeout rate through 22 games this year.