MLB Player News

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.

He took Mike Foltynewicz deep in the third inning, one of four solo shots by the Angels on the night. Ohtani continues to swing a hot stick, slashing .310/..355/.690 through 15 games at DH with five homers, two steals, 12 runs and 13 RBI.

Buxton went 3-for-6 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the A's.

It looked like Buxton had given the Twins the win when he took Lou Trivino deep in the top of the 10th inning, but Minnesota's infield defense fell apart in the bottom half of the frame. Buxton continues to rake when he's in the lineup, and through 12 games he's hitting .432 (19-for-44) with six homers, one steal, 10 runs and 11 RBI.

Ford will start at first base and bat sixth Wednesday against Atlanta.

Prior to Ford's call-up Tuesday, the Yankees had been using DJ LeMahieu as their primary first baseman while Luke Voit (knee) remains on the injured list. That opened up the keystone for Rougned Odor, but his time as an everyday player could be coming to a close in light of his 3-for-24 start to his Yankees career. After going hitless with a walk and an RBI across four plate appearances in Tuesday's 3-1 win, Ford will pick up a second straight start against a right-handed pitcher (Ian Anderson), while Odor heads to the bench.

Lewis, activated from the injured list earlier in the day, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout while playing all nine innings in center field during a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday.

The slugging outfielder's long-awaited season debut came on a night when Lewis was one of only three baserunners for the Mariners. Now apparently over the knee issues that plagued him since late in spring training, Lewis will look to begin building on the expectations he set with a stellar 2020 campaign that was enough to garner the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

Rooker will start in right field and bat eighth Wednesday against the Athletics.

He'll be picking up his third consecutive start after playing in both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader loss, going a collective 0-for-6 between the contests. With Max Kepler and Kyle Garlick both on the COVID-19 injured list, Rooker looks like he could end up seeing regular starts in corner outfield in the short term.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though he was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Alvarez will remain on the bench for a second straight day since the Astros don't have the designated hitter available in a National League park. Alvarez should serve as the Astros' top option off the bench for pinch-hitting duties Wednesday before re-entering the starting nine in Thursday's series opener against the Angels.

Alvarez entered Tuesday's game as a pinch hitter and grounded out to end Houston's 6-2 loss to Colorado.

Alvarez returned to action after missing the last four games while on the COVID-19 protocols list. Since the Astros are playing in a National League city, the DH is not in effect, and he came off the bench. Presumably, he will not start Wednesday's game and resume designated hitter duties when Houston returns home for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Solak went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the 6-2 loss Tuesday against the Angels.

After starting the season slow, Solak has cut his strikeout rate down and is on a six-game hitting streak during which he's slugged three homers and hit .455. Thursday's walk was only his fourth of the season, but the 26-year-old has been adept at putting the ball in play over the last week.

Ohtani pitched four scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and six walks and recorded seven strikeouts in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday. He did not factor in the decision.

There were two sides to Ohtani's story Tuesday. He managed to get through four innings on his limited pitch count without allowing any runs and fanning seven. However, his six walks are concerning. The two-way player has struggled in the past with command issues and his high walk rate was therefore concerning, especially coming against one of the worst offenses in the league. He has 11 walks in 8.2 innings this season.

Brantley went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's loss to Colorado.

Houston managed only five hits in the contest, and Brantley was responsible for three of them. He picked up his third three-hit game of the campaign while taking his first walk since Opening Day. Brantley has been solid contributor near the top of the lineup this season, slashing .327/.365/.592 across 52 plate appearances.