MLB Player News

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.

Torrens is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

Torrens started Saturday and went 0-for-3, and he'll head to the bench Sunday for the third time in the past four games. Tom Murphy receives another start behind the plate for Seattle.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Mariners.

Brantley scored the game's lone run in the fourth inning, coming in on a single by Taylor Jones. He's been dropped from second to third in the batting order since Houston placed several regulars, including Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez, on the COVID-19 protocols list. With much of the team's offensive firepower unavailable, Brantley's bat is needed more than ever.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base and three total runs scored Saturday in a win over Detroit.

Canha accounted for one of Oakland's three homers off Detroit starter Casey Mize with a solo shot to left field in the second inning. The long ball was Canha's third this season, tied for most on the team. He is slashing .268/.414/.500 with five RBI and two stolen bases.

Manager Joe Maddon said Ohtani (blister) could start as early as Tuesday against the Rangers without needing another bullpen session, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 26-year-old completed a 30-pitch bullpen session off the main mound at Angel Stadium on Saturday with no issues, which could be his final tune-up before making his return to a game mound. Ohtani hasn't pitched in a game since his season debut on the mound April 4 due to the blister, so he's unlikely to be cleared immediately for a full workload. He's serving as the designated hitter again Saturday in the meantime.