MLB Player News

Choi went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Astros on Thursday.

Choi's timely two-bagger in the seventh inning snapped a 6-6 tie and cinched his third multi-hit effort of the last four games. Choi's recent success comes in the wake of extended struggles, as the 28-year-old South Korean went 8-for-45 over his first 16 games of August.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Blackmon will head to the bench after starting the last nine games and posting a .495 OPS in that stretch. Ian Desmond, Sam Hilliard and Yonathan Daza will start in the outfield from left to right.

Cabrera (biceps) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Cabrera will remain on the bench for the third straight game due to left biceps tightness. The 26-year-old took batting practice Thursday and downplayed the injury, but he'll have to wait at least one more game before returning to the starting nine. Ronny Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter while Jordy Mercer starts at second base Friday.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Thursday's loss to Arizona.

Turner got the Dodgers on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, doubled home a run in the third, and swatted a solo shot to left field in the ninth. The 34-year-old got off to a slow start in the power department this season but has slugged 16 long balls since the start of July. He is now up to 25 home runs and 64 RBI in 2019.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.

It was Belt's 15th home run of the season, and his third over the past 12 contests. The 31-year-old has notoriously been a streaky hitter, but he was stuck in one of the biggest ruts of his career for the good part of two months. That said, he is starting to show a little life at the plate, and it wouldn't be outlandish for him to go on a healthy hot streak to close out 2019 based on his track record. Belt's fantasy owners got even more good news when the first baseman stuck in the two hole, even with Buster Posey returning to the lineup Thursday.

Solak went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and run scored in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Solak was moved up to the cleanup spot Thursday with the team's usual 3-4-5 hitters all sidelined by injury. In the process, he became the first Ranger rookie to bat fourth since Pete Incaviglia did so in 1986. Solak's reached base safely in all 10 games since being added to the roster.

Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Reds.

With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 12th, Ramirez took Raisel Iglesias deep for a walkoff home run victory. The long ball was the eighth of the season for 24-year-old outfielder, who is batting .268/.303/.399 with 42 runs scored across 91 games.

Soler went 1-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI on Thursday against the Athletics.

Soler took Chris Bassitt deep in the first inning to get the Royals ahead. It was his 37th homer of the season and ninth of August. It's been an impressive breakout campaign for Soler, as he's currently slashing .251/.343/.532 across 562 plate appearances.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and three runs Wednesday in the Phillies' 12-3 rout of the Pirates.

Harper was away from the Phillies over the weekend while on paternity list, but the absence hasn't appeared to disrupt his rhythm at the plate. He went 4-for-14 with a home run, stolen base, five runs and two RBI during the series with Pittsburgh, bringing his August OPS to .998 through 22 games.

Goins will start at shortstop and bat second Thursday against the Twins.

After serving as the designated hitter and manning right field the previous two days, Goins will cover shortstop for a resting Tim Anderson in the series finale. The DH spot probably represents Goins' most realistic path to an everyday role, as his main competition for those duties, Matt Skole, has posted an underwhelming .526 OPS since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier this month.