MLB Player News

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Blue Jays.

Stanton regained the lead for the Yankees by taking Anthony Castro deep in the seventh inning. The long ball, which carried an exit velocity of 104 mph, was Stanton's 13th homer of the season and the 325th of his career. Overall this year, the 31-year-old is slugging .265/.337/.519 as he works to gain a role in the outfield.

Ohtani will bat second and serve as the designated hitter Thursday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani will take the mound as the starting pitcher in the game, but he will also hit for the Angels. This is the seventh time this season that he will start a game as a two-way player. Ohtani has maintained an outstanding .271/.350/.618 line across 254 plate plate appearances while also logging a 2.85 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 47.1 frames.

Ford was traded from the Yankees to the Rays on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations and a player to be named later.

The Rays have a well-earned reputation for being smart in their acquisitions, so it's often wise to wonder if their interest in a player indicates there's something more than he's shown thus far. That said, there's a big gap between the .199/.301/.422 line Ford has produced in 319 career big-league plate appearances and what he'd need to play a meaningful role. He'll join Triple-A Durham for now, and the Rays have plenty of bats to fill the first base and designated hitter spots, so there doesn't appear to be a clear path to a fantasy-relevant role for the 28-year-old.

Reyes (oblique) could begin a rehab assignment as early as next week, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Reyes was expected to miss 5-to-7 weeks after he sustained a left internal oblique strain in late May, though he seems to be slightly ahead of schedule in his recovery. The 25-year-old could require a fairly lengthy rehab assignment given the severity of his injury, but he appears to be trending in the right direction.

Ramirez isn't starting Thursday's game against the Orioles.

Ramirez will take a seat for the second time in the last three games after he went 1-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI in Wednesday's contest. Josh Naylor will start in right field and bat seventh.

Stanton is building up physically to play in the outfield, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The slugger expects to be fit for such a role by early July, citing his desire to play in the Yankees' games in Miami at the end of that month. Although he's recovered from his May quad injury, Stanton still faced enough limitations to be held out of the weekend's games in Philadelphia.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the A's.

His second-inning blast off Cole Irvin was Ohtani's 19th homer of the year, while his fifth-inning steal was his 10th. The 26-year-old is now the fourth player in MLB and the first in the AL to reach double digits in both categories, joining Ronald Acuna, Fernando Tatis and Trea Turner.

Buxton (hip) will be activated when he can achieve his typical sprint speed, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton won't play until "he's able to sprint like he can sprint." The skipper also mentioned the possibility of Buxton playing more rehab games.

Canha went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a win over the Angels on Tuesday.

The veteran leadoff man recorded his second multi-hit effort in the last three games while pushing his June slash line to an impressive .286/.352/.490 across 54 plate appearances. Canha already has 13 RBI over 12 games in the current month, a stretch during which he's already knocked in multiple runs on four occasions.

Mercedes isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Mercedes has gone 0-for-8 with five strikeouts across his last two appearances, and he'll retreat to the bench for the second time in the last four games. Yasmani Grandal will serve as the designated hitter while Zack Collins starts behind the plate.