MLB Player News

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.

Ohtani (5-4) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Thursday versus the Mariners. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Ohtani turned in his sixth quality start of the season in 11 outings. The two-way star has allowed just one run in his last 13 innings on the mound, and he's gone 16-for-43 (.372) during an 11-game hitting streak. For the season, he's pitched to a 3.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 77:15 K:BB in 60.1 innings, and he's now batting .263/.337/.486 with 13 home runs, 37 RBI, 42 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 63 games as a hitter.

Reyes (hamstring) served as a designated hitter Thursday in his second rehab game with Triple-A Columbus, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

Reyes has been deployed at DH in both of his rehab games for Columbus, but the Guardians want to see him play the outfield in the minors before bringing him back from the 10-day injured list. Per Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus manager Andy Tracy said he expects Reyes to get a start in the outfield at some point this weekend, so the 26-year-old doesn't look as though he'll be activated until early next week.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Twins on Wednesday.

Winker generated the only multi-hit effort of the night for a quiet Mariners offense. The 28-year-old, who just signed with Seattle through next season earlier Thursday, has shown some signs of life at the plate recently, producing a .286/.464/.429 slash line over the last six games.

Lewis (concussion) has ramped up baseball activities in recent days but remains without a firm return timetable, the Associated Press reports.

Lewis' recovery from a concussion has been rather drawn out, as the slugging outfielder has been on the injured list since June 1. The fact Lewis remains without a timetable for his return underscores the unpredictable nature of head injuries, but he is reportedly showing gradual improvement.

Winker signed a contract with the Mariners on Thursday, agreeing to a two-year, $14.5 million pact, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Winker had been playing without an official contract for 2022 after he failed to come to terms with the Mariners in his second year of arbitration eligibility, but he's now on the books for the next two seasons before hitting free agency following the 2023 campaign. Though he's disappointed in his first season in Seattle with a .634 OPS across 264 plate appearances, the 28-year-old Winker is still viewed as a core player in the organization.

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs in Wednesday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.

Even after slugging three long balls in his previous four games, Martinez is sitting on a somewhat suppressed total of eight home runs on the season, but fantasy managers have little reason to otherwise complain about the 34-year-old. Martinez, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts have formed arguably the most fearsome trio of hitters in the majors this season, with all taking batting averages north of .330 and on-base averages above .370 into Thursday's series finale. Martinez will serve as Boston's designated hitter and No. 3 batter Thursday, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe.