MLB Player News

Torrens went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a run-scoring infield hit in a win over the Rays on Friday.

Torrens has now rapped out two hits in each of his last three starts, slugging a pair of home runs during that stretch as well. If the 25-year-old continues to serve as a surprising source of offense, he could eventually make at least some additional inroads into fellow backstop Tom Murphy's playing time.

Buxton (hip) was activated by the Twins on Saturday and will bat second against the Rangers, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton was an early MVP favorite at the start of the year, hitting .370/.408/.772 with nine homers and five steals through his first 24 games. However, the persistent injury problems that have plagued his career refused to go away, as he was shut down with a hip strain in early May. There's little reason to have much confidence in his health going forward, but he'll be a huge help to fantasy teams and the Twins if he can come close to replicating his early-season success for as long as he can remain on the field.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three total RBI in an 11-3 win over Detroit on Friday.

Ohtani's first homer was a two-run blast that was one of three long balls hit by the Angels in the fifth inning. In the eighth, he went deep again to register his first multi-homer game of the season. Ohtani's two homers moved him into third place in the league this season with 21, one behind both Fernando Tatis and Vladimir Guerrero. Four of Ohtani's round trippers have come in his past four games.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored in Friday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

Alvarez knocked two singles and scored a run before delivering a walkoff double in the ninth inning. The 23-year-older slugger has gone 8-for-18 (.444) with three RBI and two extra-base hits during an active five-game hitting streak. He owns an .882 OPS with 36 RBI on the year.

Torrens, who went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in a win over the Rays on Thursday, has three extra-base hits over his last two starts.

The backup catcher now also has one less obstacle to playing time with the optioning of Jose Godoy to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday. Torrens has flashed some nice pop all season, having laced half of his 20 hits for extra bases.

Lewis (knee) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday,

Lewis underwent surgery to repair his torn right meniscus June 11. The outfielder was already expected to be out until the latter part of the summer, but the Mariners didn't have a reason to move him to the 60-day IL until Friday. The transaction opens up a spot for the newly recalled Vinny Nittoli on the 40-man roster.

Mercedes will be on the bench for Friday's game against Houston.

Mercedes sits for the second time in three games and the third time in the last six contests. It's not hard to see why he's losing playing time, as he's hit a miserable .122/.189/.171 over his last 23 games after hitting .364/.414/.557 through his first 40. Yasmani Grandal will be the designated hitter Friday, with Zack Collins starting behind the plate.

Ramirez will sit Friday against the Pirates, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Ramirez had seemingly been moving into a near-everyday role, but he's now been on the bench for three of Cleveland's last four games. Josh Naylor starts in right field again in his absence.

Ohtani (3-1) earned the win Thursday against the Tigers after tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and a walk while fanning five.

This was Ohtani's fourth quality start of the season and all four have come over his last six outings -- plus, he's now allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts. The right-hander owns an excellent 2.70 ERA in addition to his dynamic offensive contributions and is scheduled to make his next start against the Rays on the road next week.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 10-2 win over the White Sox.

All of Brantley's offense came in the first inning to get the Astros up 3-0 on his three-run home run off Dylan Cease. He extended his current streak of reaching base safely to 15 games. The 34-year-old is slashing .342/.386/.548 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 31 runs in 215 plate appearances. His batting average trails only Nick Castellanos (.348) for the best amongst qualifiers in all of baseball.