MLB Player News

Rooker is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Rooker is hitting .300 with two doubles and two home runs in his last 10 games after an 0-for-3 showing Saturday. Jake Cave is starting in left field and batting eighth in the series finale.

Alvarez started in left field and went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to Arizona.

The Astros are growing more comfortable using Alvarez in the field and have a need in left with Michael Brantley (knee) unavailable. Alvarez's balky knees primarily limit him to designated hitter, but he has made a career-high 33 starts in left field this season. The home run was his 31st, and the slugger is just two RBI short of 100.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-3 loss to Cleveland.

Stanton went yard for the second straight day and for the fourth time in the past week, connecting in the seventh inning off reliever Bryan Shaw. It was the 30th homer of the season for Stanton, a plateau he had reached on five previous occasions in his big-league career. Stanton has turned it on at the plate over his past 30 games, slashing .313/.345/.661 with 12 homers and 24 driven in.

Reyes went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a run-scoring double in Saturday's win over the Yankees.

The big slugger doubled home Oscar Mercado in the fifth inning to give Cleveland a 2-0 edge, then he took New York reliever Andrew Heaney deep in the sixth inning to make it a 10-0 game. It was the 30th homer of the season for Reyes, the second time in his big-league career he's reached that milestone. It also marked the second three-hit performance in the last two games for Reyes, who owns an .878 OPS and 80 RBI in 422 plate appearances this season.

Brantley (knee) will begin baseball activities Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley has already missed a full week with a sore knee, but the Astros waited several days to place him on the injured list, so he isn't eligible to return until Wednesday. Whether or not he'll have a chance to do so is not yet clear.

Brantley is receiving treatment for his right knee injury but is not yet ready to resume baseball activities.

Per manager Dusty Baker, Brantley's knee hasn't gotten any worse since last Saturday, but because the outfielder missed four games through Sept. 15, the Astros decided it made sense to place him on the injured list. During Brantley's absence, his spot in left field has been occupied by Chas McCormick and Jose Siri.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a run in an extra-inning win over the Tigers on Friday.

Choi had an opportunity to author his second straight two-hit effort before being pinch hit for in the ninth inning. The veteran had been mired in a 1-for-16 funk over the previous five contests after a multi-week stay on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, so perhaps the last pair of contests are a sign he's shaken off whatever rust may have accumulated.

Rooker went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over Toronto.

The new father showed some dad power Friday. Rooker plated Minnesota's first run with an RBI double in the second inning, and he added a solo shot for insurance in the sixth. The 26-year-old lifted his season slash line to .210/.295/.420 with eight homers, 15 RBI, 22 runs scored and nine doubles through 176 plate appearances. He should see fairly regular playing time in left field over the last two-plus weeks of the season.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over Cleveland.

The 31-year-old has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 14-for-41 (.341) in that span. Stanton has three home runs, six RBI and three runs scored during the hot streak. For the season, the slugger is slashing .273/.358/.498 with 29 long balls, 79 RBI, 56 runs scored and 16 doubles across 125 games.

Ohtani threw a successful bullpen session Friday and will start on the mound for the Angels on Sunday against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

There was some concern that Ohtani wouldn't pitch again this season after he experienced arm soreness while playing catch Wednesday. However, manager Joe Maddon clarified that Ohtani did not suffer an injury, but instead that he was just dealing with fatigue. That said, his workload may be monitored carefully when he takes the mound Sunday.