MLB Player News

Buxton will sit Saturday against the Cubs.

Buxton has exclusively served as the designated hitter this season, but the plan has enabledhim to start nearly every day. He'll hit the bench Saturday after starting 14 consecutive games, with Alex Kirilloff getting the chance to rest his legs in the DH spot. Buxton has gone hitless in seven straight games, so the Twins will hope the off day helps him reset at the plate.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Friday against the White Sox.

Alvarez added an insurance run with his ninth-inning homer, his ninth long ball of the season. He's shown plenty of power of late, going deep in back-to-back games and five times in his last 15 starts. Unsurprisingly, he has an impressive .408 wOBA and 164 wRC+ to go along with 35 RBI across 32 games this season.

Rooker went 2-for-5 with a double and a three-run home run in Friday's 9-7 victory over the Rangers.

Rooker ended the game with a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th inning, which was the first of his career. The outfielder/designated hitter now leads MLB with a 1.100 OPS, and is one of the few bright spots on a struggling Athletics team. The 28-year-old is also tied for fourth in the league with 11 home runs.

Alvarez will be the designated hitter against the White Sox on Friday instead of playing left field, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Alvarez is still hitting third, but he'll be kept away from defensive duties in a game that has been delayed due to inclement weather. Corey Julks moves from DH to left field in Alvarez's place.

Brantley has inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder, and the Astros are shutting him down for an indefinite period, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The veteran outfielder was expected to return to the lineup this week, but Brantley was checked out in Houston on Wednesday after he reported continued soreness in his shoulder. There's no timeline for when he will be able to resume baseball activities, and it's possible the Astros will take the next stage of the 36-year-old's recovery with a lot more caution. Brantley has yet to play in 2023 after undergoing surgery on his shoulder last August.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to Houston on Wednesday.

Ohtani connected on a two-run shot off Astros closer Ryan Pressly in the ninth inning to bring the Angels to within a run, but the team was unable to complete the comeback. The long ball was the first so far in May for the two-way star, though he's otherwise performed well with a .290 average, three doubles and six RBI this month. Ohtani is up to eight homers on the campaign, tied for second on the Angels behind Hunter Renfroe (10).

Turner is making his first start at third base this season for the Red Sox on Wednesday in Atlanta, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Turner has made eight starts at first base in addition to 27 at designated hitter, but this will be his first time at his customary hot corner. Rafael Devers is getting a day off.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Brantley (shoulder) returned to Houston for further testing after the veteran outfielder/designated hitter experienced renewed soreness while out on his rehab assignment, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros don't seem to think Brantley had a setback with his surgically-repaired right shoulder. Rather, Baker believes Brantley is simply "more sore than usual because he played a lot" during his rehab assignment. A better idea with regard to Brantley's potential return date should come once he gets checked out, but the hope is that he can rejoin the team this weekend. When he's activated could be another matter.

Belt will serve as Toronto's designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Wednesday's game in Philadelphia.

Belt sat out against two of the four right-handed pitchers the Blue Jays faced in Boston last week, but he now finds himself in the starting nine versus a righty for the fourth day in a row. Though he benefited from Vladimir Guerrero being sidelined with a wrist injury for two of those games, Belt has earned back a strong-side platoon role by going 5-for-10 with three doubles, three walks, five runs and two RBI. Expect the lefty-hitting Belt to remain out of the lineup when the Blue Jays face southpaws, however.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 9-3 loss to Atlanta.

Turner went the opposite way in the sixth inning for a solo shot of Charlie Morton, his third home run of the season. The 38-year-old has been Boston's primary DH and is slashing .273/.360/.396. The homer was Turner's first since April 23.