MLB Player News

McCutchen is out of the lineup against the Rays on Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

McCutchen will take a seat after going 5-for-11 with a solo home run and three walks during the first three games of this series. This marks the 31-year-old's first day off as a member of the Yankees after joining the club at the end of August. Manager Aaron Boone will send out an outfield of Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Giancarlo Stanton for the series finale.

Martinez is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez will take a seat for the second half of Wednesday's twin bill after going 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, three RBI and three runs scored in Game 1 as the Red Sox won 19-3. The slugger is now hitting .330 with a 1.032 OPS through 147 games this season, and his 42 homers trail only Khris Davis (46). Rafael Devers is covering DH in Game 2, opening up a spot for Brock Holt to start at the hot corner.

Brantley (calf) is starting in left field and hitting second Wednesday against the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brantley won't be forced to miss any additional time after exiting Tuesday's game in the sixth inning with a right calf contusion. The outfielder will look to stay hot over the final week of the season as he's slashing .352/.410/.521 with three homers and three stolen bases in 18 games this month.

Choi (ear, head) does not have a concussion and could return to the lineup Thursday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi required stitches in his ear following a home-plate collision with Gary Sanchez in Tuesday's game but appears to have avoided a more serious injury. He's not expected to appear off the bench Wednesday, but the Rays are optimistic that he'll wind up missing just one game.

Brantley was removed from Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox in the sixth inning after fouling a ball off his right calf earlier in the contest, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Indians officially labeled Brantley's injury as a right calf contusion, with manager Terry Francona calling the outfielder "fine" after the contest. While the issue shouldn't prevent Brantley from filling a full-time role when postseason play gets underway, he could get a few maintenance days over the Tribe's final five regular-season contests.

Choi (ear/head) is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

As expected, Choi will receive a day off after being removed from Tuesday's contest following a collision at home plate with Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez. Choi needed stitches to address a left ear laceration and experienced concussion-like symptoms after the game, but wasn't officially diagnosed with a concussion, according to Juan Toribio of The Athletic. Choi will remain in the MLB's concussion protocol for now, and if he ends up being diagnosed with the concussion, it's unlikely that he'll play again this season. C.J. Cron will replace Choi as the Rays' designated hitter Wednesday.

Choi received stitches around his left ear and is dealing with concussion-like symptoms after exiting Tuesday's game.

Choi collided with Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez at home plate and left the field with blood coming down the left side of his face. The 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day as he continues to be evaluated.

Choi exited Tuesday's game after colliding with Yankees' catcher Gary Sanchez at home plate, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Choi was thrown out attempting to score from first base on Brandon Lowe's double during the third inning, and left the field with his head bleeding after the collision with Sanchez. Jake Bauers took over at first base for the Rays.

Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Angels will let Ohtani play out the season before sending him to Dr. Neal ElAttrache for the procedure. While the surgery will prevent Ohtani from pitching in 2019, he's expected to be able to hit during the season while his elbow recovers. More should be known after he goes under the knife. Ohtani is hitting .280/.361/.564 with 21 homers and nine stolen bases through 99 games this season, and he posted a 3.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 63:22 K:BB prior to suffering the injury.

Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Monday against the Rangers.

Ohtani took Adrian Sampson deep in the first inning to record his 21st homer of the season. He continues to prove he can produce at the plate, smacking his sixth long ball of the month while also reaching base at a .389 clip in that span. It's been an impressive rookie campaign for Ohtani at the plate, even without considering what he accomplished on the mound prior to his injury (elbow).