MLB Player News

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.

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.