MLB Player News

Choi isn't in the lineup for Friday's season opener against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu is on the mound for Toronto, so Yandy Diaz is receiving the start at first base while Jose Martinez serves as the designated hitter. Choi should be in Saturday's starting nine since righty Matt Shoemaker is the Blue Jays' probable starter.

Alvarez (undisclosed) was cleared to begin participating in baseball activities Friday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old remains on the injured list and was absent from the entirety of summer training for undisclosed reasons, but he may be able to join the team in the near future. Alvarez will report to the Astros' alternate training site to begin his preparations for the season, though it's unclear when he may reach game readiness. Aledmys Diaz and Kyle Tucker are expected to split time at designated hitter until the young slugger is activated off the IL.

Collins was added to the White Sox's Opening Day roster, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Collins and Yermin Mercedes were in a battle for the same spot, but the White Sox opted for their top pick in the 2016 draft. It came down to Collins' left-handed bat and familiarity with the arms at the big-league level. He also had a productive bat during summer camp, putting into practice a more aggressive plate approach. He'll serve as the third catcher and depth option at first base and designated hitter.

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's win over Washington.

Stanton got his season started with a bang in the first inning, crushing a 459-foot homer to deep center off Max Scherzer. He got to Scherzer again in the fifth, driving in another run with a single to right field. After playing in only 18 games during an injury-riddled 2019 season, Stanton is looking to bounce back in the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Goins signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Goins will report to the team's alternative camp site in Schaumburg, Illinois, where he'll remain as organizational infield depth. The 32-year-old hit .250/.333/.347 across 52 games with Chicago in 2019.

General manager James Click said Thursday there is no update on Alvarez's status, other than that the team is doing everything it can to get him back on the field as soon as possible, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Suffice to say, Alvarez will not be in the Opening Day lineup and can be considered out indefinitely. He has been unable to report to camp for undisclosed reasons. Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Diaz are expected to get starts at designated hitter early in the season.

Buxton (foot) is on the 30-man Opening Day roster and has avoided being placed on the injured list to begin the season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Buxton ran and took live swings during a workout Wednesday in St. Paul and was then reported to be headed to Chicago. It's not clear if Buxton will be in the Opening Day lineup or if he'll play in the team's first series against the White Sox, but it's a positive sign that he's not on the 10-day IL to begin the season.

Buxton (foot) could join the Twins in Chicago this weekend for the opening series against the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old was running and took live swings during his workout Wednesday, and he appears to be near a full recovery from the left mid-foot sprain he suffered July 13. Buxton doesn't have to be on the Opening Day roster to join the team in Chicago, as he could also be listed as a member of the three-man taxi squad. More information should be available once the Twins officially announce their 30-man roster.

Martinez batted second in the order during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Blue Jays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

This was a surprise maneuver by Boston manager Ron Roenicke, who a day earlier had tagged Rafael Devers as the team's likely No. 2 hitter. But the manager is apparently reconsidering deploying two lefties in a row at the top of the order. "The reason being simply because we have [Andrew] Benintendi followed with Devers and we know that gives the opponent the opportunity to bring in a left-hander against them, and this breaks it up and makes it tough now," Roenicke said. Martinez, who has batted third or fourth since joining Boston, stepped in behind left-handed-hitting leadoff batter Andrew Benintendi against Toronto right-hander Nate Pearson. It's unclear if Martinez will occupy the two-hole every game or only when a lefty hitter is leading off, but the move is in line with a trend of having a team's most dangerous hitter batting second. "This is something that I don't know for a fact, but this is something that the analytics people tell me," said Roenicke. "For whatever reason, the second spot in your lineup is the most important spot in your lineup."

Soler is away from the Royals due to a family matter but is expected to join his teammates in Cleveland for Friday's Opening Day game, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The nature of Soler's absence isn't entirely clear, but it's evidently expected to be a brief one. Once he arrives. he'll look to build on a breakout 2019 campaign which saw him slash .265/.354/.569 with 48 homers, 36 more than he'd managed in any of his previous seasons.