MLB Player News

Choi is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The move to the bench ends a streak of five consecutive starts for Choi, who has seemingly encroached on C.J. Cron's role as the club's primary designated hitter. Choi has demonstrated solid power and on-base skills while splitting time between the majors and Triple-A this season and could be in store for at least semi-regular work while he's up with the big club.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 loss at Baltimore.

The performance brings Martinez's MLB-leading home run total 31, and his 85 RBI also rank first by a considerable margin. The 30-year-old is showing no ill effects of the upper-body soreness that kept him out of Saturday's contest after he crashed into the outfield wall Friday. Martinez has a .323/.387/.644 slash line in 368 at-bats this season.

Ohtani is out of Tuesday's lineup against the White Sox.

It sounds like the Angels are still going to try to get Ohtani starts primarily against righties, as he had an ugly at-bat in Monday's game against a southpaw, so he takes a seat with Carlos Rodon starting for Chicago. Albert Pujols gets the start at designated hitter, hitting fifth.

Buxton (wrist) progressed to batting practice Tuesday with Triple-A Rochester, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

He hit off the tee and in the batting cages, which represents a significant step in his recovery. Buxton remains without a timetable to be activated from the minor-league DL. Once healthy, he will probably have to show an improved approach at the plate in order to rejoin the big-league club before September.

Choi went 3-for-4 in a win over the Yankees on Monday.

The 27-year-old has now hit safely in three straight, a stretch that includes a solo home run and two RBI overall. Choi is hitting a solid .269 over the seven games he's played since being called up from Triple-A Durham, a modest sample that's nevertheless encouraging from a fantasy standpoint. Choi has only sat twice since arriving, so there's also optimism that he'll continue seeing enough playing time to be useful.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the White Sox.

Ohtani took Lucas Giolito deep in the fourth inning for his eighth home run of the season and second since returning from the disabled list July 1. He has recorded 10 hits in 39 bats in that span, including six extra-base hits. He was recently limited due to the Angels' traveling to National League parks, but he should continue to see regular at-bats at DH so long as there is a right-hander on the mound.

Stanton went 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored Monday against the Rays.

Stanton delivered a two-run single in the seventh to bring the Yankees within one, but they'd ultimately fall in the series opener. He's gone 6-for-11 with four RBI and two walks in three games since the All-Star break, and he's batting .285 with 23 homers and 59 runs driven in through 97 games this season.

Canha (hamstring) will start in center field and bat eighth against the Rangers on Monday.

Canha is back in action after sitting out Sunday due to hamstring cramps. Over 77 games this season, he's hitting .253 with a .778 OPS and 39 RBI.

Martinez (upper body) went 0-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Tigers.

Martinez plated his MLB-leading 81st run in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly. The Red Sox held Martinez out of Saturday's contest due to upper-body soreness, but his return to the starting nine a day later suggests he'll likely be a safe option in fantasy lineups during the upcoming week.

Canha was held out of the lineup Sunday against the Giants after he experienced hamstring cramps Saturday during the Athletics' 4-3 win in 11 innings, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The hamstring issue doesn't seem to be a major concern for Canha, who was likely just held out for precautionary purposes and could be available off the bench for the series finale. Nick Martini picked up a start in left field in Canha's stead.