MLB Player News

Choi will return to being purely a left-handed hitter for the rest of this season, though he isn't giving up on switch-hitting down the line, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

While it was certainly an entertaining moment when Choi surprised the world by hitting right-handed in the third game of the season and crushed a homer over the center-field wall, it's difficult to say the experiment worked. His small-sample .773 OPS as a righty this season was quite decent, though he struck out in 63.6 percent of his right-handed plate appearances, so it's unlikely he would have been able to maintain that number. He believes that his right-handed work messed up his left-handed swing, which seems accurate as he's hit just .167/.270/.278 as a lefty against righties this season. Choi had only started once against a lefty this year, so ending the experiment shouldn't significantly affect his playing time.

Belt is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Angels, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

As per usual, Belt will retreat to the bench with a left-hander in Patrick Sandoval toeing the rubber for the opposition. Wilmer Flores is covering first base in his place Wednesday, with Austin Slater starting at DH.

Dickerson is not starting Wednesday against the Angels, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Dickerson will head to the bench with lefty Patrick Sandoval starting for the opposition. Darin Ruf is starting in left field and hitting seventh in his place Wednesday.

Alvarez (knee) may be done for the year, according to a radio interview manager Dusty Baker did with Sports Talk 790.

This ominous knee issue has plagued Alvarez dating back to last year, and it was disconcerting to see it pop up almost immediately after returning from the COVID-19 injured list. The team remains very vague about the nature of the injury and whether or not it will require surgery. Abraham Toro is a candidate to see an uptick in playing time with Alvarez out of the mix for the foreseeable future.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a double in a loss to the Cubs on Tuesday.

Carpenter worked out of the cleanup spot and generated one of three multi-hit efforts on the night for the Cardinals. The veteran has hit safely in four of St. Louis' first six games since the team resumed play Saturday, and he's compiled five RBI over that span despite Tuesday's two-bagger being his only extra-base hit during that span.

Martinez (illness) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Phillies.

Martinez exited Tuesday's game due to dehydration. It's not exactly clear what the root of Wednesday's absence is, but it's apparently serious enough to sideline him for at least one day. Xander Bogaerts will rest his legs as the designated hitter in his absence, while Tzu-Wei Lin starts at shortstop.

Lewis went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Dodgers.

He was the only Mariner to get on base more than once, as the team only managed three hits and two walks off Tony Gonsolin, plus a HBP on Dee Gordon. Lewis had a brief 0-for-12 mini-slump last week but he's since rebounded with six hits in his last three games, boosting his slash line back up to a stunning .344/.423/.522 with five homers, two steals, 16 runs and 17 RBI through 24 contests.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with an RBI single, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 13-6 win over the Red Sox.

In the sixth inning, McCutchen plated Roman Quinn with a single for the go-ahead run. McCutchen then stole second and came around to score on a Bryce Harper three-run home run. The 33-year-old McCutchen is slashing .211/.270/.281 with a homer, a steal, eight RBI and five runs scored through 16 contests.

Harper went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 13-6 win over the Red Sox.

Harper blew things open with his three-run blast in the sixth-inning, which came during a seven-run rally. In the eighth, he got aboard with a single, stole second and eventually scored on a Jay Bruce three-run homer. Harper has hit safely in nine straight games, going 14-for-33 (.424) with three homers, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in that span. The 27-year-old is slashing .367/.486/.700 with five homers, four steals, 15 RBI and 19 runs scored in 18 games overall.

Martinez was removed from Tuesday's game against the Phillies due to dehydration, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 32-year-old went 1-for-2 with an RBI double before being lifted for a pinch hitter during the fifth inning. Martinez seems likely to return to action within a day or two.