MLB Player News

Choi (groin) received eight at-bats at extended spring training and will play the field in a rehab game Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 30-year-old will be re-evaluated after playing the field since he's eligible to return from the injured list Sunday. Choi could be activated for Sunday's series finale versus the Orioles if all goes well during his rehab work this weekend.

Buxton (hip) will go through a workout at Target Field on Friday and rejoin Triple-A St. Paul for his rehab assignment Saturday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old has appeared in two games with St. Paul and will play a third after going through the workout. If all goes well, Buxton could rejoin the active roster for Sunday's series finale with Houston, or he could be activated during the three-game set at Seattle, which begins Monday.

Choi (groin) could face live pitching in extended spring training games Friday and Saturday, the team's official site reports.

If he indeed gets in on some game action over the next two days, Choi could be deemed ready for activation when first eligible Sunday. Choi has seemingly had a good week physically, as he reported feeling better while fielding grounders Tuesday.

Soler went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's win over the Athletics.

Soler hasn't had a good year but made his presence felt in this one, coming around to score on a two-run single from Kelvin Gutierrez in the seventh and blasting a two-run homer in the following frame. The slugging outfielder has gone yard in two of Kansas City's last four games and that could be a sign of things to come, as he only has six homers on the season and is hitting a meager .179 thus far.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 12-8 loss to Boston.

During a wild back-and-forth affair at Fenway Park, Alvarez's two-run double in the third inning was the first of six lead changes on the day. He's driven in runs in three straight contests, knocking in five with a home run and two doubles. Houston's primary designated hitter is up to .305/.356/.521 with 33 RBI over 49 games.

Stanton went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and three strikeouts in Thursday's loss to the Twins.

Stanton recently went 16 straight games without a homer, but he has gone yard three times over his last contests, tallying eight RBI in the process. The slugger, who's not expected to play in the outfield during the weekend two-game series against the Phillies, already has 12 homers on the season and owns an .849 OPS through 187 plate appearances.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 12-8 win over Houston.

Martinez went yard in the third inning for his first homer since May 20 -- he has battled foot and wrist injuries since then. In the sixth, he reached on a run-scoring error, then scored when Christian Vazquez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Martinez is slashing a strong .312/.377/.561 with 13 homers, 41 RBI and 43 runs scored across 246 plate appearances. He should continue to hit in the heart of Boston's order while seeing time as the designated hitter and corner outfield depth.

Stanton is not expected to play in the outfield during the team's weekend series against Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees will travel to Philadelphia for a two-game set this weekend, so the club will be without the designated hitter. Though manager Aaron Boone noted that Stanton isn't likely to play in the outfield in this series, he didn't rule out the possibility when the Yankees face the Mets at Citi Field and travel to Miami and Atlanta later in the season.

Brantley isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley had started each of the last two games after being reinstated from the injured list Tuesday, and he went 4-for-9 with a double, two runs and an RBI during that time. Taylor Jones will start in left field and bat seventh.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Twins.

Stanton erupted for three extra-base hits, all off Randy Dobnak. Before his pair of homers Wednesday, Stanton went without a long ball in his previous 16 games. It was a much needed performance for the 31-year-old, as he was just 4-for-29 in his prior nine contests. He is slashing .267/.335/.509 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 18 runs in 182 plate appearances.