MLB Player News

Martinez (wrist) went 1-for-4 with a single in Tuesday's 7-1 loss to the Astros.

Martinez was back in the lineup after missing three games due to a wrist injury. He returned to serve as the designated hitter but was dropped to the cleanup spot for the first time in 2021.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with double with a run scored in Tuesday's 7-1 win over Boston.

Brantley was activated off the injured list for Tuesday's game and batted sixth, which may be a temporary assignment, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Manager Dusty Baker wants to monitor Brantley's hamstrings and promised to move him up in the order. He'd been the primary two-hole hitter prior to his injury, but Baker may not want to disrupt the surging Carlos Correa (16-for-40, five HR), who has settled in behind leadoff batter Jose Altuve. The two hole is an ideal spot for an Astros hitter, as it affords protection via the formidable presences of Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel.

Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double, an additional run scored and a walk in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Royals.

Ohtani slammed a two-run shot off Kris Bubic in the first inning to put the Angels up early. His 17th long ball of the season Tuesday lands Ohtani in second on the home-run leaderboard in the American League. In addition, he leads the Angels in RBI (44), runs (40) and stolen bases (nine). He has displayed a premium amount of combined power and speed, ranking third in all of baseball in home runs plus steals. The 26-year-old is slashing .261/.346/.606 in 231 plate appearances.

Solak went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a double Tuesday against the Giants.

Solak made his lone hit of the contest count by delivering a two-RBI double in the sixth inning. Entering the game, he had failed to drive in a run in each of his last seven contests and gone only 4-for-23 at the plate in that span. Despite the slump, Solak still has a 100 wRC+ with eight homers, 26 RBI and 36 runs scored across 259 plate appearances for the season.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, another RBI and a walk during Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

Alvarez extended Houston's lead by mashing a 420-footer against Matt Andriese in the fourth inning. He tacked on another RBI after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second. It was the eighth long ball of the year for the 23-year-old, who has mainly seen time as the designated hitter for the Astros, though his two outfield starts lead to some hope he could eventually qualify elsewhere. Overall, he sports a solid slash line of .295/.342/.508 across 48 games.

Manager Joe Maddon confirmed Tuesday that Ohtani will be the starting pitcher for Friday's game against Arizona, but he doesn't plan on having the two-way star start in the outfield during the remainder of the series, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani will hit as the pitcher in the NL park Friday, but based on Maddon's comments, he'll be limited to pinch-hit duty Saturday and Sunday. Considering that Ohtani has logged some innings in the outfield, it's possible he could see some time out there off the bench over the weekend.

Choi (groin) is feeling much better and has a chance to return from the injured list when first eligible Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Choi hit the injured list for the second time this season when he strained his left groin in early June. The issue doesn't appear to be a particularly serious one, however, so his return is on the horizon.

Ramirez will be on the bench Tuesday in St. Louis.

Cleveland's default starting nine will be down a member in both games of the two-game series, which takes place in a National League park. Eddie Rosario, Bradley Zimmer and Josh Naylor will start from left to right across the outfield Tuesday.

Martinez (wrist) will bat cleanup and serve as the designated hitter Tuesday against the Astros, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

A left wrist issue kept Martinez out of the lineup for three straight games, but the Red Sox didn't expect the injury to warrant a trip to the injured list. That's indeed the case, as he's back in action Tuesday and will look to build on a bounce-back season that has seen him hit .321/.389/.569 through 54 games.

Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Brantley (hamstring) will be activated from the injured list and start in Tuesday's series opener against the Red Sox, SportsTalk 790 reports.

Reports last week indicated that Brantley was on track to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list early in Houston's road trip, and it appears that the outfielder will rejoin the lineup Tuesday at Fenway Park. Though Baker has yet to release the starting nine, he did note that Brantley will be batting slightly lower than usual in his return. With that said, the 34-year-old will almost surely work his way back toward the top of the Astros' order as he gets back into the swing of things.