MLB Player News

Miller started at third base, batted ninth, and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.

As usual, Miller was in the starting lineup against a right-hander, but he was dropped to last in the order after previous working from the leadoff spot. The demotion is not surprising given that Miller is just 5-for-35 over the last 13 games and is hitting .196 overall. Paradoxically, Miller has driven in 10 runs, second-most on the team behind Adolis Garcia's 11, though five of those RBI came within the first three games of the season.

Ohtani (2-2) picked up the win against Cleveland on Wednesday, pitching five innings during which he allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four. He also went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI as a hitter.

Ohtani wasn't dominant on the mound -- he registered a season-low strikeout total and induced just seven swings-and-misses -- but he bounced back from yielding two first-inning runs and did enough to earn his second straight win. The two-way star helped his own cause at the plate, notching an RBI double in the sixth inning and coming around to score on a Mike Trout double. Ohtani finished with his first three-hit performance of the campaign and will likely make his next start as a pitcher early next week in Boston.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly in a 5-2 win Wednesday over Baltimore.

Stanton smacked a Tyler Wells pitch deep to right field with one on and two out in the first inning for his 350th career homer. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a single in the eighth. The slugger has multiple hits in consecutive games and the homer was his first since the second game of the season. The 32-year-old has posted an 11.5 percent walk rate in his career but has just one walk in 69 plate appearances, or 1.4 percent, while striking out in 33.3 percent of his trips to the plate to start 2022.

Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI on Wednesday against the Mariners.

Ramirez has been in the lineup nearly exclusively when lefties are on the mound, so Wednesday was only his third start in the last nine games. He recorded his second multi-hit effort of the season, highlighted by an infield single that drove in Randy Arozarena in the bottom of the first inning. Though he's had limited opportunity, Ramirez has collected nine hits across 30 plate appearances while also tallying three runs scored and four RBI early on in the campaign.

Choi isn't starting Wednesday's game against Seattle.

Choi will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games since left-hander Marco Gonzales is on the mound for the Mariners. Yandy Diaz will start at first base while Taylor Walls enters the lineup at the hot corner.

Brantley will sit Tuesday against Texas, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley hits the bench for just the second time this season. He's gotten off to a strong start at the plate, hitting .311/.364/.459 with a pair of homers. Chas McCormick will shift to left field in his absence, with Jose Siri starting in center.

Jimenez underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his torn hamstring tendon.

Jimenez exited Saturday's game against the Twins with the injury, which turned out to be quite serious. He was given a return timeline of 6-to-8 weeks prior to surgery, and general manager Rick Hahn confirmed Tuesday that the outfielder remains on that schedule following the procedure. That places his expected return date sometime roughly in the middle of June.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Rangers.

Alvarez took Dane Dunning yard to lead off the second inning for his fourth home run of the season. Besides his power production, Alvarez has had a quiet start to the season, collecting only seven total hits across 46 plate appearances. Positively, Alvarez has hit the ball hard as he's maintained a 14.3 percent barrel rate. He's also made plenty of contact -- he's striking out only 15.2 percent of the time -- so more positive results should be on the horizon.

Ohtani will hit second as the designated hitter Monday against the Guardians, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 27-year-old hit leadoff for the first 16 games of the campaign but will now drop to the No. 2 spot in the order, with Taylor Ward batting leadoff. If the change to the batting order is a long-term move, Ohtani will still see plenty of run scoring opportunities and should see a bump in RBI production.

Martinez (groin) will return to the lineup as a designated hitter Monday against Toronto, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

A sore groin cost Martinez four games, but he avoided a trip to the injured list and is now ready to go. He was off to a solid start prior to the injury, hitting .268/.354/.463 through 12 games.