MLB Player News

Ohtani is not in the lineup Sunday at St. Louis.

Ohtani is unsurprisingly on the bench for the series finale against the Cardinals since the Angels are once again without the benefit of a designated hitter. The 24-year-old is 0-for-2 as a pinch hitter in the series but should return to his usual role Tuesday at home versus the Reds.

Choi will sit against lefty Brett Anderson and the Athletics on Sunday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Choi has mostly been platooned this season, though he had started against two of the last three lefties the Rays had faced. He'll hit the bench Sunday, with Travis d'Arnaud starting at first base.

Choi went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring sacrifice fly and a solo home run in a loss to the Athletics on Saturday.

Choi was essentially the only sign of life for the Rays, with his 391-foot shot to left center in the seventh representing the highlight of the contest for Tampa's moribund offense. Choi has reached safely in four straight games and is enjoying an excellent rebound month, as he's now hitting .304 in June following a .229 figure in May.

Stanton is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

As expected, Stanton will require frequent off days as he works his way back from a long injury layoff. Sunday's contest is his second time out of the lineup in the six games since his return. Brett Gardner starts in left field.

Ohtani remains out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He'll be out of the lineup for the third game in a row and is expected to sit in Sunday's series finale with no designated hitter available in St. Louis. The Angels will kick off a two-game set Tuesday against another National League team in the Reds, but Ohtani should be back in the lineup for both contests since those games will be played in Anaheim.

Martinez went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 7-5 win over the Blue Jays in 10 innings.

Following a brief bout with back spasms earlier this month, Martinez has returned to the lineup with aplomb, rattling off five multi-hit games in 11 starts. He'll be back in action Saturday as Boston's designated hitter and cleanup batter.

Soler went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Twins.

The 27-year-old is dialed in at the plate right now. Soler has gone yard four times in the last seven games and, perhaps more impressively, drawn a walk in every one of those contests, giving him a .292/.452/.792 slash line during that stretch. On the season, he's already set new career highs with 21 homers and 53 RBI through 76 games, putting Soler on pace for his first 100-RBI campaign.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with two runs scored Thursday against the Astros.

Stanton didn't join in the Yankees' barrage of home runs Thursday but did collect three hits -- all singles. He came around to score twice, his first plate crossings since being activated from the injured list June 18. Stanton has only 24 plate appearances for the season, but this performance gives some confidence he may not be significantly affected by the shoulder and biceps injuries that kept him out of the lineup for nearly three months.

Alvarez went 2-for-5 with a home run, double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Yankees.

Alvarez took Tommy Kahnle deep in the sixth inning to record his fifth home run of the season. He followed that up with an RBI double in the ninth frame to bring the Astros within four runs. Alvarez has continuously impressed since making his major-league debut June 9, recording at least one hit in seven on his nine starts -- including seven extra-base knocks.

Ohtani is not in Thursday's lineup against the Blue Jays, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The uber-talented designated hitter is hitting .356 with six home runs and three steals in his last 14 games. Justin Upton will get the start at DH, hitting third.