MLB Player News

Buxton (finger) will take part in live batting practice at the Twins' Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul on Thursday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The BP session likely represents a final gauge of how Buxton has fared in his recovery from a fractured left pinkie finger before the Twins send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Assuming Buxton feels fine from a conditioning standpoint following a nearly two-month layoff from game action, he may only need a few games in the minors to get his timing back at the plate. While Buxton has been on the shelf, the Twins have been taking a committee approach to center field rather than leaning heavily on one starter, with all of Jake Cave, Max Kepler, Nick Gordon, Rob Refsnyder and Gilberto Celestino picking up reps at the position.

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during a 2-0 win over the Red Sox in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

While he didn't start the first game Tuesday, Stanton came through as a pinch hitter with a big RBI single in a 5-3 victory, and then he clobbered a Nathan Eovaldi pitch in the fourth inning of the nightcap to give the Yankees an insurance run. Stanton extended his hitting streak to seven games during the twin bill, although he doesn't have a multi-hit effort in that stretch. On the season he's slashing .263/.361/.458 with 19 homers and 58 RBI through 99 contests.

Cabrera went 0-for-2 with two walks in Tuesday's loss to the Angels.

Since hitting his 499th career home run Wednesday, Cabrera has gone just 1-for-11 with three walks. It's possible the milestone is weighing on him a bit, but the Tigers will keep getting him into the lineup regularly in the hope that he can reach the mark soon. Cabrera has 12 home runs this season across 94 games.

Reyes is not starting Tuesday against the Twins.

Reyes will take a seat as he continues to work through a 1-for-28 slump that dates back to Aug. 9. Amed Rosario will handle the DH duties as Andres Gimenez shifts to shortstop Tuesday.

Alvarez (illness) is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Royals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Per Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle, manager Dusty Baker said that Alvarez is still feeling ill after leaving Monday's game in the eighth inning with an upset stomach. The slugger may have a chance to pinch hit Tuesday and can be considered day-to-day to return to the starting nine.

Choi is not starting Tuesday against the Orioles and left-hander John Means, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi scored a pair of runs while reaching base three times Monday, but he'll now get a chance to rest against the southpaw. Jordan Luplow is set to man first base and bat eighth.

Stanton will sit for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox.

The Yankees will likely give a handful of their regulars a rest in one of the two games, and giving one to Stanton makes sense considering his health history. Joey Gallo will rest his legs as the designated hitter in his absence.

Alvarez was removed from Monday's loss to the Royals in the top of the eighth inning due to an upset stomach, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with an RBI to begin Monday's contest, but he was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth. Manager Dusty Baker revealed after the contest that the 24-year-old had dealt with an upset stomach throughout the game, which prompted his early exit. Whether Alvarez is able to return Tuesday remains to be seen.

Mercedes went 5-for-5 with two home runs Sunday for Triple-A Charlotte.

Mercedes announced his retirement on July 21 and then changed his mind a day later. His decision didn't impact him at the plate, as he's hitting .287 with a .826 OPS and six home runs in 20 games since July 23. With Yasmani Grandal returning soon from a knee injury, however, it doesn't look like there's a good chance of Mercedes returning to the majors in the near term.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Angels.

Brantley clubbed his eighth homer of the season to put Houston up a run in the third inning, but the Astros' dominant lineup was elsewise quieted, going hitless with runners in scoring position. It's been a relatively quiet season for Brantley, who continues to hit with regularity (.332) but has just 39 RBI through 94 games.