MLB Player News
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mariners' Luis Torrens: Slated for primary catching duties
Torrens, who was acquired from the Padres on Sunday, is slated to serve as the primary catcher for the balance of the regular season, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Torrens is considered an above-average defender behind the dish and solid hitter for a catcher, even as he's yet to have a chance to fully demonstrate the latter at the big-league level. Torrens was thrown into the fire by the Padres back in 2017 as a Rule 5 Draft rookie after not having yet played above Low-A ball, and he unsurprisingly limped to a .163/.243/.203 line across 56 games. However, Torrens slashed an impressive .300/.373/.500 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI over 97 games at Double-A Amarillo last season, and he's now expected to get the majority of the starts in September with Austin Nola having been shipped to San Diego. Torrens is presently undergoing COVID-19 testing protocol.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Coming off IL on Tuesday
The Twins plan to activate Buxton (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Minnesota stood pat prior to Monday's trade deadline, but the club will get some key reinforcements in the next couple of days as it looks to solidify its standing near the top of the American League playoff picture. Along with Buxton, Michael Pineda (suspension) is scheduled to join the active roster Tuesday, while Josh Donaldson (calf) is on track to come off the IL on Wednesday. Buxton should immediately step back in as the Twins' everyday center fielder, leaving fewer starts available for Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade. Before landing on the IL with the inflamed left shoulder, Buxton was slashing .221/.225/.456 over 71 plate appearances.
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Nick Solak 1B | PIT
Rangers' Nick Solak: Filling in at second
Solak will be the primary starter at second base while Rougned Odor (eye) is on the injured list, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.
Solak has moved around the field since the start of the 2020 season, recently seeing time in left field, but he's started the last four games in place of Odor.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Stomach issues lead to Monday exit
Manager Kevin Cash said that Choi left Monday's win over the Yankees with stomach issues, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi had himself a huge game before being replaced by Mike Brosseau in the bottom of the ninth, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs scored. At first glance, it appeared as if the substitution might have been a simple move for defensive reasons, but it sounds like the slugger was dealing with some sort of discomfort related to his stomach. Until further update, however, it does not seem likely that Choi will be held out beyond Monday.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Nearly ready to return
Buxton (shoulder) played in an intrasquad game at the Twins' secondary site Monday and is closing in on his return to action, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
A precise timeline for Buxton's return hasn't been given, but manager Rocco Baldelli said he expected the outfielder back "really soon." Buxton was hitting a modest .221/.225/.456 in 71 plate appearances prior to hitting the injured list with an inflamed left shoulder on Aug. 20.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Sitting Monday
Martinez (hand) is not starting Monday's game against Atlanta, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Martinez left Sunday's game against the Nationals after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. While his X-rays were negative, he'll sit for at least one contest. Bobby Dalbec will get the nod as the designated hitter.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Sitting Monday
Ohtani will sit Monday against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani continues to fill a full-time role as the Angels' near-everyday designated hitter despite numbers that suggest he's not worthy of the job, as he's hitting just .188/.277/.381. The team knows he's capable of far better, however, as he hit .286/.351/.532 in his first two seasons in the league, and there's little reason for them not to let him hit his way out of his slump, as they sit last in the American League with a record of 12-23. Justin Upton starts in his place Monday.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Not close to returning
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Stanton (hamstring) did not participate in baseball activities Sunday and is "still not all the way there," Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reports.
Stanton has been on the injured list since Aug. 9. General manager Brian Cashman suggested Friday that the slugger was at least a week away, but it's reasonable to hold off on any expectations of Stanton returning at the early end of that timeframe given Boone's comments Sunday. "He's still not all the way there," Boone said. "Doing well. Good progressions and stuff. Today's a very light day for him. No baseball activities. But he's not all the way out of the woods yet as far as the injury. But he is running at about 75-80 percent. Hitting and doing all that stuff is not a problem yet. We just want to make sure we get him to the finish line with the injury."
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mariners' Luis Torrens: Shipped to Seattle
Torrens was traded from the Padres to the Mariners on Sunday as part of a seven-player trade, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Torrens was recalled from the Padres' alternate training site in the middle of August and went 3-for-11 with a double and two strikeouts over seven games. He could compete for playing time with the major-league club in Seattle after the Mariners included Austin Nola as part of Sunday's trade.