MLB Player News

Buxton (wrist) took batting practice on the field and did some baserunning prior to Friday's game, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

It remains to be seen when Buxton will be able to return -- the Twins have not ruled out a very brief rehab assignment. Max Kepler starts in center field while Luis Arraez gets the nod in left.

Carpenter is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.

No injury has been reported with Carpenter, but he will be held out for a second straight game despite a team off day Thursday, so there is at least some reason for concern about his status. Timmy Edman will man the hot corner and hit leadoff in Carpenter's place.

Belt will hit leadoff in Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, according to Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News.

Belt is hitting just .203 in June, but he also owns a .380 OBP this month and a .355 OBP on the season, which has led manager Bruce Bochy to give him a shot at or near the top of the order of late. Belt will hit leadoff Friday for the third time in four games, and he hit out of the second spot in the other contest.

Alvarez (knee) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez exited Thursday's game for precautionary reasons but won't be in the lineup for Friday's series opener. Manager AJ Hinch indicated he might give the 22-year-old a day or two off, so his absence isn't a major surprise. George Springer will serve as the designated hitter while Jake Marisnick starts in center field.

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Cubs.

Winker has an .882 OPS in June but will head to the bench Friday with left-hander Cole Hamels on the mound for the Cubs. Phillip Ervin will start in left field and bat seventh in his absence.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a loss to the Brewers on Thursday.

Vogelbach opened the scoring on the afternoon for the Mariners with his sixth-inning double, and he subsequently crossed the plate with Seattle's second run courtesy of Tim Beckham's two-bagger. Vogelbach has been a consistent run-producing machine throughout the season, with his 47 RBI ranking behind only Domingo Santana among Seattle players still on the roster. Moreover, his above-average walk rate (18.1 percent) has led to a career-high .385 on-base percentage.

Choi entered Thursday's extra-innings win over the Twins as a pinch hitter in the top of the 10th inning and went 1-for-2 with an RBI infield single and three walks.

Choi opened the game on the bench with southpaw Martin Perez on the hill for Minnesota, but he ultimately got a full allotment of at-bats in the 18-inning marathon. The 28-year-old has reached safely in six of his last seven games, and Thursday's production pushed his season line to a solid .269/.354/.436 across 263 plate appearances.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 8-3 victory over the A's.

Ohtani extended the Angels' lead with a two-run homer off starter Tanner Anderson in the third inning. The 24-year-old also tallied three strikeouts for the first time in over a month. Regardless, Ohtani has been on an absolute tear since coming off the injured list, slashing .290/.352/.519 with 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 22 runs scored over 162 plate appearances.

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

Belt hit his 10th long ball of the season, this time off rookie starter Alex Young in the fourth inning. Unfortunately, the run was the first and last of the night for the Giants. The 31-year-old has now reached base safely in eight straight games to improve his line to .270/.354/.528 with 39 runs scored and 31 RBI.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored during Thursday's 12-8 loss to the Dodgers.

Blackmon doubled in his first at-bat and later added a two-run triple, with another base hit sandwiched in between. He came in with just two hits in his last 17 at-bats, but he's a much stronger hitter at home and displayed his affinity for Coors Field once again in this one. Blackmon will face a tough matchup in the second game of the series against Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday.