MLB Player News

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and a pair of runs in Saturday's victory over the Rangers.

The homer, Stanton's 29th of the year, opened the scoring in the first inning off Drew Hutchison. He also singled and scored in the seventh. Stanton is very unlikely to get anywhere close to the 59 homers he hit last season, but he only needs nine more the rest of the way to post the second-highest total of his career. A second straight season with at least 40 home runs is very much within reach.

Ohtani (elbow) completed a short bullpen session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Ohtani threw 20 fastballs, all with the catcher standing up. He also threw some off-speed pitches while long tossing. The session appears to have gone well. He's been available as a designated hitter but hasn't been able to pitch in a game since early June. The fact that he's throwing off a mound suggests he could make it back as a pitcher before the end of the season, but the low intensity of the session means that day isn't likely to come any time soon.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton's hamstring tightness has not subsided since he began feeling it a week ago, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

This issue has forced Boone to play Stanton primarily in the DH spot, which is where he's spent five of the past seven games. Unsurprisingly, he's listed as the Yankees designated hitter for Saturday's game against Texas as well. Though he's clearly fighting off the discomfort, it hasn't impacted Stanton's play, as he's hitting .276 with three home runs and eight RBI over those past seven games.

Ohtani will sit against a lefty for the second straight game Friday against Oakland.

In a small, 65-plate appearance sample, Ohtani has hit only .175/.277/.246 against lefties, good for a 52 wRC+. That's a far cry from his .312/.382/.652 line (181 wRC+) against righties. It's possible he could continue to be platooned going forward. Albert Pujols will again be the Angels' designated hitter Friday, with Jefry Marte starting at first base.

Choi went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a win over the Orioles on Thursday.

Choi closed the Rays' deficit to a run with his 376-foot shot to left off David Hess in the third inning. The 27-year-old has shown some pop this season during his time with the Brewers and in Tampa, with eight of his 18 hits going for extra bases. He continues to rotate with C.J. Cron at first base and designated hitter, with his playing time consistent enough to warrant him a degree of consideration in all season-long formats and as an affordable DFS play.

Jimenez (illness) went 1-for-2 with a solo homer before Wednesday's game against Triple-A Syracuse was suspended due to inclement weather.

Jimenez, who hadn't played since Saturday due to an illness, made a splash in his first game back, swatting his ninth homer of the season for the Knights -- and his fourth in the last nine games. The 21-year-old phenom is now hitting a healthy .378 in 30 games since being promoted to Triple-A and is inching closer to earning a promotion to the majors.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a grand slam, a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Stanton broke open the game with his sixth career grand slam, turning a tie game into a 6-2 Yankees lead in the eventual four-run win. The reigning NL MVP has gone deep in consecutive contests to give him 27 homers on the year, and he ranks fifth in the American League with 73 RBI.

Buxton (wrist) could return to action for Triple-A Rochester "sometime next week," according to big-league manager Paul Molitor, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He hit in the batting cage Tuesday and will do so again Wednesday, as he continues to make progress with his rehab. With the Twins out of the playoff race, they will likely leave Buxton at Triple-A through the minor-league season in an effort to get him going at the plate before he joins the big-league club in September.

Ohtani is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels haven't been strictly platooning Ohtani, but he'll sit Wednesday with the left-handed Blaine Hardy on the mound. Albert Pujols will be the designated hitter, with Jefry Marte playing first base.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a walk, a stolen base and two strikeouts in Tuesday's win over the Tigers.

Ohtani helped erase an early 2-0 deficit with his three-run shot in the first inning for his 12th homer of the year. While he continues to try to work his way back to the mound, the 24-year-old has gotten off to a blazing start at the plate in August. In six games in the month, he's slashing .400/.500/.900 with three homers, a double, seven RBI and three stolen bases.