MLB Player News

Brantley was removed in the top of the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Yankees with right shoulder discomfort, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts prior to departing.

Brantley was serving as the Astros' designated hitter for the series finale in New York, so his shoulder discomfort must have surfaced at some point during one of his plate appearances earlier in the game. J.J. Matijevic entered the game as a replacement for Brantley, who can be viewed as day-to-day heading into Tuesday's series opener with the Mets.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded walk in a win over the Angels on Saturday.

Winker knotted the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning by displaying a discerning eye at the plate with the bases loaded. The multi-hit effort was also the fourth in the last five games for the ascending outfielder, who's now sporting an eye-popping .625 on-base percentage over the 24 plate appearances he's logged over that span.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Heading into the week, Alvarez's status was in question after he picked up a hand injury in a July 18 loss to the White Sox, but he returned from a one-game absence to start in each of the Astros' subsequent five contests while going 6-for-19 with four home runs, seven RBI and six runs. The 24-year-old will temporarily put his bid for American League MVP Award on the back burner Sunday while he hits the bench in what looks to be a routine maintenance day.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Ohtani tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning with a moonshot -- it went 462 feet with an exit velocity of 118 mph, per Statcast. That's his second-hardest hit ball of the year, and it counted as his 16th homer. Five of those long balls have come in the last 14 games. The two-way star is slashing .261/.339/.493 with 47 RBI, 45 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 13 doubles and a triple through 307 plate appearances.

Collins was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.

Collins has spent the past couple weeks in the minors but will join Toronto after Alejandro Kirk suffered a bruised left hand Friday. Kirk is in the lineup Saturday as the designated hitter, but Collins will provide depth at catcher behind Gabriel Moreno.

Buxton (knee) is starting in center field and batting second Saturday against the Rockies, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton was held out of the lineup the past three games due to chronic tendinitis in his right knee, but he appeared as pinch hitter Friday and will rejoin the starting nine Saturday. The fact the 28-year-old will immediately play center field rather than be limited to serving as the designated hitter is an encouraging sign for his availability going forward.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to Houston.

Justin Verlander successfully shut down the Yankees' potent offense for his ninth win of the season, with Stanton's sixth-inning solo blast representing New York's lone run of the game. The long ball was was the second in as many contests for the slugger and 16th of the season overall. However, Stanton has been slumping over his past 10 games, hitting .091 over 33 at-bats. All three of his hits during that span have left the yard.

Winker went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a walk in Friday's 4-3 win over the Angels.

Winker has hit well lately, going 7-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles and five walks in his last four games. The outfielder hasn't found long stretches of consistency at the plate, but his 15.8 percent walk rate has kept him productive. For the season, he's slashing .226/.347/.343 with six home runs, 29 RBI, 24 runs scored and 11 doubles across 70 contests.

Buxton (knee) struck out as a pinch hitter in Friday's loss to Colorado. Buxton missed the two prior games due to "a severe chronic case of tendinitis which leads to severe swelling," manager Rocco Baldelli told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Buxton could return to center field and the lineup Saturday, but the team will see how his knee feels during pregame warmups.

Buxton (knee) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

The 28-year-old will sit for the third consecutive game as he continues to manage soreness in his right knee. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton has improved significantly over the past couple days, and there's a decent chance the center fielder is able to return to action Saturday. Gilberto Celestino will receive the start in center field Friday for the Twins.