MLB Player News

The Astros reinstated Brantley (knee) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Rays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Reliever Josh James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear a spot on the active roster for Brantley, who has been on the shelf since Sept. 15 with right knee soreness. Since Houston has essentially locked up the American League West title and is well positioned to finish as the league's No. 2 seed in the playoffs, Brantley may sit out a couple times during the Astros' final five games of the regular season, but he should be ready for a full-time role during the postseason.

Rooker isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Rooker will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts across his last three appearances. Jake Cave will start in left field and bat eighth.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and a double during Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays.

Stanton crushed a 421-footer against Trevor Richards in the seventh inning to extend New York's lead. It was his fourth homer in as many games and his 10th of the month, raising his season total to 35 while he's batting .278/.359/.527.

Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Brantley (knee) could be activated from the 10-day injured list in the next two or three days, but he is unsure if Brantley will be able to play the field when he first returns, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

While Baker did not sound overly optimistic about Brantley's recovery from knee soreness, his update suggests that Houston has a good chance of getting the 34-year-old's bat back in the lineup for the postseason. Whether Brantley is able to play left field if and when he returns is another question, as the knee soreness appears to be of most concern when considering his defensive mobility. If Brantley is indeed unable to contribute defensively once activated, he figures to assume the bulk of the starts at designated hitter, which would push Yordan Alvarez to left field on a regular basis.

Torrens went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Monday's 13-4 win over the Athletics.

After driving in only two runs over a 19-game stretch between Aug. 29 and Sept. 20, Torrens has turned into a run-producing machine over the past week. He's accumulated six RBI during that time, allowing him to strengthen his hold on the Mariners' primary designated-hitter role.

Brantley (knee) took batting practice Sunday.

Brantley's progression from a knee injury took an unexpected turn last week, and an estimated return date is unclear.

Jimenez went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, two runs and a walk in Monday's win over the Tigers.

The left fielder launched a homer off of reliever Ian Krol in the seventh inning, driving in Yasmani Grandal in the process. It was his 10th long ball of the season, but only his second of the month. Jimenez has secured at least one hit in 14 out of 17 games since Sept. 5, but has only driven in seven runs while batting .232 in those contests.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday in the Yankees' 6-3 win over the Red Sox.

Stanton has lived up to his billing as one of the game's premier power hitters over the past two weeks, slugging eight home runs and driving in 14 over a 14-game stretch. He left the yard in each game of the Yankees' weekend sweep at Fenway Park, with his 448-foot blast in the eighth inning Sunday clearing the Green Monster and providing some needed insurance runs.

Canha went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Astros.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and runners at the corners, Canha legged out an infield single to score the tying run. In his next at-bat with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Canha came through with another clutch hit to help Oakland keep its faint playoff hopes alive. After a prolonged slump for much of the past two weeks, Canha appears to be coming out of his funk with five hits and a pair of walks over his last five games.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.

Ramirez will take a seat after he went 3-for-10 with a solo home run while starting each of Cleveland's last three contests. Oscar Mercado will spell Ramirez in left field on Monday.