MLB Player News

Vogelbach will slot in as the designated hitter and bat sixth Friday against the Angels, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Vogelbach was in line for a night off with the Mariners set to face a southpaw, but Edwin Encarnacion was scratched from the starting lineup prior to first pitch due to a dental procedure, so Vogelbach will take his place.

Vogelbach isn't in Friday's starting lineup against the Angels, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Vogelbach will get a rare day off with lefty Tyler Skaggs set to toe the rubber for the visiting Angels. Edwin Encarnacion is set to slot in as the designated hitter and will bat third in Vogelbach's absence.

Stanton (shoulder) is close to facing live pitching and could soon begin a rehab assignment, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Stanton resumed baseball activities Thursday after being pulled from his rehab assignment May 21 with a calf strain. The 29-year-old played only one rehab game prior to suffering the new injury, so he'll still likely require a week or two in the minors to get back up to speed after the extended absence from the shoulder strain. Mid-June appears to be a realistic possibility for his return if all goes well.

Lewis, who went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI, a walk and two runs in Double-A Arkansas' win over Northwest Arkansas on Thursday, is slashing .225/.327/.341 across 202 plate appearances this season.

The 23-year-old outfielder's line includes 13 extra-base hits (nine doubles, one triple, three home runs), 27 RBI and a career-high 12.9 percent walk rate, but his current 27.7 percent strikeout rate is also the second-highest figure of his pro career. The fact that this isn't Lewis' first exposure to Double-A arms puts more of a concerning spin on those whiffs, especially considering Lewis' 75.8 percent contact rate during his 37-game stint in 2018 was over eight percent better than his current 67.6 percent figure.

Choi entered Thursday's win over the Twins as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning after Tommy Pham exited with leg cramps and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run.

It was that type of offensive night for the Rays as they racked up 14 runs overall. Pham's subsequent MRI came back clean, but Choi continues to see regular playing time at first base against right-handed pitching.

Jimenez went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Thursday's 10-4 win over Cleveland.

Jimenez gave the White Sox an early lead in the second inning when he doubled home two men. The season remains a learning experience for the rookie, who is batting .185 (8-for-41) with four extra-base hits in the 11 games since he was activated off the injured list.

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.