MLB Player News
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Out again in NL park
Choi is out of the lineup for the second straight day Wednesday in Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi can play first base, but has appeared exclusively as a designated hitter since joining the Rays. Wednesday is the second game in a two-game series, so Choi could return to the lineup Friday in Cleveland.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Heads to bench
Ohtani is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI during Monday's series-opening win over the Rockies, but he'll head to the bench for Tuesday's contest with a lefty (Kyle Freeland) starting for Colorado. Albert Pujols will serve as the designated hitter, allowing Jefry Marte to start at first base.
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Kyle Lewis DH | ARI
Mariners' Kyle Lewis: Notches third Double-A homer
Lewis went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Monday in Double-A Arkansas' 7-0 win over Northwest Arkansas.
While he turned in a solid performance Monday, Lewis has largely struggled since making the move to the Texas League in late July, batting just .200/.262/.327 across 122 plate appearances. Despite Lewis' struggles, the Mariners are likely just content the 2016 first-round pick is healthy again after a torn ACL suffered two summers ago robbed him of nearly a year of development time. With some more time to get consistent at-bats and become acclimated to facing higher-level pitching, the 23-year-old's plus power could begin showing up more regularly.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: On bench with no DH
Choi is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi will take a seat on the bench with no designated hitter spot available in Atlanta's National League ballpark. With the Rays playing in Atlanta on Wednesday as well, Choi could find himself out of the lineup until Friday's series opener against the Indians. He'll be available off the bench.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Starts up rehab assignment
Soler (toe) served as the designated hitter for Triple-A Omaha in his first rehab game Monday, finishing 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and three strikeouts.
Soler saw the field for the first time since June 15 after an extended recovery from a fractured toe. Because he hasn't seen consistent at-bats for two-plus months, Soler will likely require multiple games in the minors to get his timing back before making his way back to the big club at some point in early September. According to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, the Royals aren't expected to use Soler in the outfield upon reinstating him 60-day disabled list, so the 26-year-old will presumably be used exclusively as a DH during his rehab assignment.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Crushes 15th homer
Ohtani (elbow) went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a pair of runs scored in Monday's 10-7 win over Colorado.
Ohtani returned to the lineup after sitting against a southpaw Sunday. The two-way star has been limited to just hitting after suffering a UCL sprain early in June, but the injury hasn't affected his impressive offensive output (.276/.354/.547 with 15 homers). Ohtani did throw a successful 50-pitch simulated game prior to Monday's contest, so a return to the mound this season shouldn't be ruled out.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Tosses sim game
Ohtani (elbow) threw a 50-pitch simulated game Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
If Ohtani manages to make a return to the hill sometime in September, the Angels will schedule him to pitch on six days rest. Manager Mike Scioscia stated Ohtani's sim game went well, and that his stuff is good enough to get big-league hitters out right now, per Fletcher. Ohtani is slated to toss another bullpen later in the week, although it's unclear what the next step will be.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Notches three hits Sunday
Jimenez went 3-for-4 with a triple, double, walk and three RBI for Triple-A Charlotte in its 10-4 win over Gwinnett on Sunday.
Jimenez has tallied at least three hits in three of his past four games for Charlotte and owns a 1.027 OPS across 199 plate appearances in the International League since earning a promotion from Double-A Birmingham in late June. It's evident at this point that Jimenez is ready for a taste of the majors, but due to service-time considerations, the White Sox may not be willing to indulge him until 2019.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: On bench in series finale
Ohtani is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
With the Astros bringing lefty Framber Valdez to the hill, the lefty-hitting Ohtani will exit the lineup a day after tallying a pair of extra-base hits, including his 14th home run of the season. Though the Angels are scheduled to face a right-hander (Jon Gray) in their next game Monday, Ohtani isn't certain to be included in the lineup at designated hitter, as he's slated to throw a 45-to-50-pitch simulated game earlier that day. Manager Mike Scioscia may not want to ask Ohtani to serve as the DH the same day he does a strenuous mound workout.