MLB Player News

Lewis (knee) played five innings in a game at the Mariners' alternate site Monday and will be ready for his season debut Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Lewis has been battling a knee injury since he crashed into the outfield wall in late March. Previous reports indicated he could debut Monday, but he'll need one more day before he's ready to go. He should be the Mariners' primary center fielder once he returns from the injured list.

Lewis (knee) isn't starting Monday's game against the Dodgers.

Manager Scott Servais was hopeful that Lewis could make his season debut as early as Monday, but he'll remain out of the lineup while Taylor Trammell starts in center field. It's not yet clear whether Lewis will be able to be activated from the 10-day injured list in time for Tuesday's matchup.

Alvarez (undisclosed) traveled with his teammates to Denver on Monday and is expected to be reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Rockies, Mark Berman of KRIV Fox 26 reports.

The Astros had a handful of players sidelined due to health and safety protocols last week. Several of them look set to return Tuesday, indicating that they never actually came down with the virus themselves. Alvarez's big bat would be quite fun to watch at Coors Field, but it's unclear whether or not the Astros will let him play the field, something he's yet to do this season. With no designated hitter under National League rules, he may not return to the lineup until the Astros play the Angels on Thursday.

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay.

The slugger gave the Yankees an early lead with a second-inning blast to right field. The home run was one of only three Yankees hits in the game, and Stanton also accounted for one of the team's three walks. He is among numerous players on the team struggling in the early going, as Stanton is slashing .176/.236/.373 thus far. He leads the team with 12 RBI and ranks second with three homers.

Ford is in consideration for a promotion to the big-league roster from the Yankees' alternate training site, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Ford spent a day with the big club April 9 but didn't get into a game and was subsequently sent back down. With Jay Bruce retiring after Sunday's game, Ford would be a logical candidate to fill his roster spot, but the Yankees have not yet made a corresponding move. The team is off Monday, so it has some time to finalize the decision.

Mercedes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against Boston. He went 0-for-3 in the first game.

Mercedes belted his team-high fourth home run during a three-run fourth inning, and the White Sox's pitching made sure that was enough. He hasn't stopped hitting since that 5-for-5 on Opening Day. Mercedes has hit safely in all but two of his 12 starts and carries a 1.173 OPS into Monday's series finale, the traditional Patriots' Day game that starts at 11:00 AM.

Solak went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and two walks in Sunday's 1-0 extra-inning win over the Orioles.

Solak continued to do well at the plate. In the 10th inning, he drew a walk to load the bases before Nate Lowe hit a walkoff single. Solak is slashing .293/.379/.466 with three homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored in 16 games. He's also gone 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts -- he was caught stealing for the first time this season Sunday.

Ohtani (blister) is listed as the Angels' probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani completed a 30-pitch bullpen session with no issues Saturday and won't require another session on the mound before rejoining the starting rotation. The 26-year-old made his first start of the season April 4, but he's been unable to pitch over the past couple weeks due to the blister. The right-hander figures to face some limitations Tuesday given it will be two weeks between his first and second starts of the year.

Buxton and the Twins won't resume playing until at least Tuesday after Monday's series opener in Oakland was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Minnesota organization, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

After already having the final two games of their weekend series with the Angels postponed, the Twins will remain off the schedule for a third straight day Monday while more contact tracing continues to be completed. The Twins and Athletics are expected to begin their series with a doubleheader Tuesday, but MLB has yet to announce a formal decision.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Alvarez (COVID-19 injured list) has been cleared to resume individual workouts, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez and the other four Astros placed on the COVID-19 IL on Wednesday all appear to have finished their respective quarantine periods, but Baker didn't specify when any of the players might be ready to rejoin the team. Since Baker previously mentioned that the five players in question are unlikely to be available for the team's ongoing road trip, Alvarez's earliest possible return date would most likely be Thursday, when the Astros host the Angels.