MLB Player News

Alvarez (knee) will bat third and play left field Monday against the Mariners, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez fouled a ball off his knee Saturday in San Diego and exited the game. He was able to appear as a pinch hitter Sunday and now not only feels well enough to hit but also to take the field.

Buxton will start in center field and bat leadoff Monday against Cleveland.

Since being reinstated from the 10-day injured list Aug. 27, Buxton has picked up starts in every game for the Twins. While the run of durability is encouraging for a player who has been extremely fragile in recent seasons, Buxton has struggled to recapture the elite form at the plate he displayed prior to landing on the shelf. In his first nine starts since returning from the IL, Buxton has gone 4-for-35 (.114 average) with two doubles, three runs and zero RBI while walking twice and striking out 11 times.

The Rays are expected to reinstate Choi (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi has rejoined the Rays in Boston after wrapping up a two-game rehab stint in the rookie-level Florida Complex League over the weekend. Though Choi's strained left hamstring responded well to the rehab appearances, the Rays will delay activating him until the middle of the week with the team facing a pair of left-handed starting pitchers (Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez) to begin its series with the Red Sox. The lefty-hitting Choi should draw back into the starting nine Wednesday versus Boston right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates.

With the Tigers playing their second straight day game and having no designated hitter available in Pittsburgh, Cabrera will stay on the bench after previously sitting out Sunday's 4-1 win over the Reds. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the Tigers plan to have Cabrera pick up starts at first base Tuesday and Wednesday, but Jonathan Schoop will play the position in Monday's series opener.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over Boston.

Ramirez was one of three Cleveland players that plated at least two runs, but most importantly, he kept his hitting streak alive and has now recorded at least one knock in seven straight contests. He's hitting .375 (9-for-24) with two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored in that span while posting a 2:2 BB:K.

Martinez went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and an additional run in Sunday's 11-5 loss to Cleveland.

Martinez's strikeout rate (30.4 percent) has been on the rise over his past 10 games, but it hasn't hindered him much from a production standpoint. During that stretch, Martinez is slashing .318/.348/.523 with two home runs, nine RBI and five runs. According to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, Martinez will remain in the lineup for Monday's series opener with the Rays, starting in left field and batting cleanup.

Alvarez (knee) entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and struck out in Houston's 4-3 loss San Diego.

Alvarez, who left Saturday's game after fouling a ball off his knee, was improved enough to hit, but he likely would have been removed for a pinch runner had he reached base. It's unclear if the Astros are comfortable using him at designated hitter for multiple at-bats, thereby exposing the knee to the rigors of baserunning.

Reyes went 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-5 win over Boston.

The designated hitter was a beast from the No. 3 spot in the lineup Sunday, notching his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 28. Reyes has swatted four homers in his last 11 games despite having an 0-for-14 skid across four contests in the middle of that stretch. He's up to a .260/.335/.549 slash line with 26 long balls, 70 RBI, 48 runs scored and four stolen bases across 376 plate appearances overall.

Choi (hamstring) went 0-for-5 with an RBI and two walks over both games of a doubleheader with the Rays' Florida Complex League team Saturday.

The recovering veteran got a solid workload in during a twin bill Saturday against the FCL Braves squad, going eight innings at first base in Game 1 and filling the DH role while logging three additional plate appearances in Game 2. The team's official site reports Choi is expected to travel with the Rays on the road trip that begins Monday in Boston and could be activated in time for that contest.

Rooker is on the bench for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Rooker could continue losing playing time, as he's hitting .191 with 13 strikeouts in his last 21 at-bats. Jake Cave is playing left field and batting seventh Sunday.