MLB Player News

Soler went 1-for 4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 4-2 victory over the Rangers.

Soler smacked a three-run shot off starter Mike Minor in the sixth inning to give the Royals the lead for good. The 27-year-old has been a solid source of power this year, which also comes with a high strikeout rate. He's batting .245/.296/.505 with 14 home runs, 39 RBI, 27 runs scored and 69 strikeouts through 56 games.

Ohtani is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mariners.

Ohtani has started the past six games for the Angels, going 5-for-24 with a trio of RBI in those contests. He'll take a seat for Thursday's series opener with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi toeing the rubber for the Mariners. In his place, Jonathan Lucroy is starting at the designated hitter, with Dustin Garneau getting the start at backstop.

Stanton (shoulder) ran and hit in the cage Thursday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Stanton had been shut down from baseball activities after suffering a calf strain last week, so this is an encouraging step for the veteran slugger. Manager Aaron Boone is hoping Stanton will be able to ramp up to live batting practice soon, at which point an updated timetable for his return will hopefully emerge.

Choi is not in the lineup Thursday against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi will take a seat for Thursday's series opener with left-hander Martin Perez toeing the rubber for the Twins. In his place, Brandon Lowe is covering first base, while Daniel Robertson and Christian Arroyo are starting at second and third base, respectively.

Buxton (knee) is starting in center field and hitting ninth Thursday against the Rays, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Buxton exited Tuesday's game against the Brewers with a bruised right knee, but he won't be forced to miss any action thanks to Wednesday's off day. The outfielder, who is hitting .265/.330/.518 with four homers and three stolen bases this month (26 games), will face right-hander Charlie Morton in Thursday's series opener in Tampa Bay.

Soler went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the White Sox.

His two-run shot started a four-run rally in the sixth inning and helped chase Reynaldo Lopez from the game, although the Royals' comeback attempt fell short. Soler now has three homers in the last eight games but only four other hits, sinking his slash line on the year down to .245/.296/.495 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 55 contests.

Canha went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 12-7 extra-innings loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is 9-for-28 (.321) in the last eight games, but he's still only hitting .233 this season. However, owners will take that because he's also slugging .581. Canha has nine home runs in just 86 at-bats. He's also walked 15 times, giving him a healthy .368 on-base percentage. Along with those numbers, he has 17 RBI, 17 runs and a .949 OPS in 32 games.

Buxton was diagnosed with a bruised right knee after leaving Tuesday's game and is considered day-to-day, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton was removed from the game during the second inning after crashing into the wall in center field. He was able to leave the field under his own power. The 25-year-old will have Wednesday's scheduled off day to rest up before the team heads to Tampa Bay for a four-game series.

Buxton was removed from Tuesday's game versus the Brewers after colliding with the wall in center field, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton attempted a leaping catch at the warning track in center field and crashed into the wall during the second inning. It's unclear where specifically the 25-year-old was hurt, but he made a lengthy appeal to the athletic trainer before ultimately leaving the game. Willians Astudillo entered the lineup in his place while Max Kepler shifted to center field.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and three RBI for Triple-A Round Rock in its 8-4 win over Nashville on Monday.

After another big day at the dish, Alvarez boosted his season RBI count to 63 in only 47 games while raising his average to a Pacific Coast League-leading .371. In a testament to how dominant he's been this season, Alvarez still paces the PCL in hitting despite having gone 2-for-24 since May 19 before breaking out of the slump Monday. The Astros chose not to call Alvarez up from the minors when George Springer (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but the 21-year-old's big-league debut doesn't look to be far away.