MLB Player News

Stanton is instituting "wholesale changes" to his pregame and midgame routines in an effort to avoid injury, Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reports.

Stanton was sidelined by a right calf strain during spring training and recently missed over a month of the regular season due to a strained left hamstring. The ability to stay on the field has hampered Stanton's tenure with the Yankees -- he played in only 18 games last season due to injuries to his biceps and knee. While the slugger was hesitant to offer specifics about the changes he has instituted to his routine, he did offer some insight about his approach. "Pregame, in-game all needs adjustments and I will have those," he said. "I've had those. We've got a new warmup, a new midgame routine. If certain things happen in the game, and I'm DH-ing and I don't run the bases for two at-bats, that's an hour and a half of no movement. So you've got to do more in between at-bats and stuff like that, which is obvious and what has been done but you've got to switch it up."

Soler (oblique) looked good after taking live at-bats Thursday and will hit again Friday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Soler has already served the required 10 days on the injured list with a right oblique strain. While he's not quite ready to return, it does appear that he's still on track to play at least a few games in the final week of the season.

Stanton went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 10-7 win over the Blue Jays.

The homer was only his fourth of the season and his first since Aug. 8, although Stanton spent most of the time in between on the injured list. The 30-year-old is slashing .320/.460/.640 through only 16 games this season, but if he stays healthy he's capable of powering the Yankees into the postseason.

Buxton went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

Buxton left the yard in the second and fifth innings, but it wasn't enough offense to lift his team to victory. The center fielder has put together a modest four-game hitting streak, smacking four home runs to go with five RBI over that stretch. He'll look to stay hot at the dish in Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field.

Ohtani is out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondback, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 26-year-old finds himself on the bench for the fifth straight game as the Angels face another left-hander in Alex Young. Lefty Wes Benjamin is scheduled to start Friday for Texas, so Ohtani could be held out once again. Albert Pujols is batting fifth as the designated hitter again Thursday.

Solak started in left field and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Astros.

Solak made his 17th start in left field Wednesday. Along with 14 starts at second base and another 13 in center field, Solak's maneuverability is an asset for manager Chris Woodward. "It helps to have a little versatility," Woodward told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "If he has one spot, great. But I think him having a little versatility helps. I still think his best position might be left field, but he has really impressed me at second base. He made all the plays and made some difficult plays." Solak's role for 2021 is yet to be determined, but it's safe to assume he'll be a regular, whether at second base or a variety of spots. He has appeared in 47 of 49 games thus far in 2020.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored Wednesday but the Red Sox lost to the Marlins 8-4.

Martinez got the Red Sox on the board in the second with a sac fly to right and would eventually knock in two more after an opposite-field home run in the seventh. It was nice to see Martinez making some solid contact again after he went 1-for-28 in his last seven games. The 33-year-old is hitting .208/.289/.375 with a discouraging five home runs, 22 RBI and 16 runs scored through 44 games and will look to try and turn things around for the final stretch of the regular season.

Buxton went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the White Sox.

Buxton went deep off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito in the fourth inning. The 26-year-old Buxton has surged lately with five homers, eight RBI and six runs scored in his last eight games. He's up to 10 long balls, 22 RBI, 16 runs scored and a stolen base through 33 contests in 2020.

Ohtani isn't in Wednesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

With left-hander Caleb Smith taking the mound for Arizona on Wednesday, Ohtani will take a seat for the fourth consecutive game. Albert Pujols will take over as the designated hitter once again.

Stanton isn't starting Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Stanton will receive a scheduled day off Wednesday as the Yankees build him up slowly ahead of the postseason. Gary Sanchez will rest his legs as the designated hitter with Kyle Higashioka starting at catcher.