MLB Player News

Choi went 2-for-5 with one home run, two RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 7-6 victory over Baltimore.

Choi struggled with elbow issues earlier in the season which saw him take a trip to the injured list, but he is swinging a hot bat in June. He entered Saturday with a .348/.392/.522 slash line this month. The veteran first baseman combines a patient approach at the plate with enough power for the Rays to like him slotted into the cleanup spot against right-handed pitchers, though he doesn't play much versus southpaws.

Winker is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Winker will end up on the bench for the beginning of both games of this twin bill, but he did appear off the bench in the matinee, going 1-for-2 with a strikeout. Justin Upton is starting at designated hitter while Adam Frazier starts in left field.

Buxton will sit Saturday against Arizona, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton has avoided the injured list all season, though it's taken frequent rests for that to happen. He'll sit here after starting five consecutive games, the second-longest run of starts he's had all year. Nick Gordon (hamstring) will get the start in center field.

Winker will sit for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels,.

The Mariners will likely give many of their regulars a rest in one of the day's two games. The Angels are sending out southpaws (Patrick Sandoval and Jose Suarez) in both contests, so it likely didn't matter much which game Winker would sit for. Dylan Moore will take over in left field.

Stanton isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Stanton started in the last seven games and hit .182 with two homers, a double, six runs, six RBI, seven walks and two strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Aaron Judge serves as the designated hitter with Marwin Gonzalez entering the lineup in right field.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Alvarez's sixth-inning homer sent Alex Bregman home and was the fourth of five home runs for the Astros on Friday. It was the outfielder's 18th home run of the season, tied for fourth-best in baseball. Alvarez has been impressive this month, with a hit in 11 of 14 games, including eight with multiple hits, good for a .471 June batting average and a 1.372 OPS.

Brantley went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Alex Bregman knocked in Brantley on a home run in the first inning, then Brantley launched one of his own in the sixth. His grand slam sent Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz and Chas McCormick home and extended Houston's lead to 10-3. The veteran outfielder is on a 12-game hit streak, including seven multi-hit games, all of which have come in June. Brantley has a 1.108 OPS in June and is slashing .302/.384/.439 on the season.

Buxton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Buxton hit the second pitch of the game to deep left for a leadoff home run. His power has been on full display in June, as he's hit eight of his 19 homers this season in his last 13 contests. He's been a little boom or bust lately, with five multi-hit efforts and three hitless performances in his last eight starts. The outfielder is now slashing .231/.311/.586 with 33 RBI, 38 runs scored, a stolen base and nine doubles in 209 plate appearances.

Ohtani will hit the bench Friday against the Mariners, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The two-way player almost never takes a position in the field, so when the Angels want to rest Mike Trout's legs by deploying him at the designated hitter spot as they're doing Friday, Ohtani is forced to hit the bench. He's in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak during which he owns a 1.077 OPS and should return to the lineup Saturday.

Miller is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

The 32-year-old is hitless over his past three contests and will take a seat Friday with left-hander Tarik Skubal pitching for Detroit. Charlie Culberson will man left field in Miller's place.