MLB Player News

Buxton is not in the lineup Thursday against the Indians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton will get what appears to be a regular day off following a string of 11 consecutive starts during which he slashed .265/.286/.647 with three homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases. In his absence, Max Kepler is covering center field and hitting leadoff, with Marwin Gonzalez getting a start in right field as a result.

Martinez was removed from Thursday's game against the Royals due to back spasms, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Martinez was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored prior to exiting the game in the fifth inning. Sam Travis pinch hit for Martinez, who should be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the Rays.

Choi is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi will head to the bench along with fellow lefty-hitting lineup regular Brandon Lowe with Detroit bringing southpaw Daniel Norris to the bump for the series finale. With the Rays recently demoting Nate Lowe to Triple-A Durham, Choi looks secure for the time being in a strong-side platoon role at either first base or designated hitter.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Cabrera has been managing a sore knee that kept him out of action Saturday and Sunday, but the Tigers cleared him to serve as their designated hitter for the first two games of the series. The 36-year-old was the star of Tuesday's 9-6 win with three hits (including a grand slam), but he went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-0 loss. The Tigers haven't indicated that Cabrera experienced a setback with his knee coming out of Wednesday's contest, so he's likely just getting a maintenance day for the series finale due to the quick turnaround between games.

Choi went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a walk in a win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

Choi drew the start at first base and hit safely for the third straight game. The 28-year-old has actually been running hot at the plate since late May, as he's now hitting .333 (10-for-30) with two doubles, a home run, four RBI, four walks and four runs across his last nine games.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, a walk and another run scored in Wednesday's 10-9 win against the Athletics.

With two outs in the fourth, Ohtani stepped up to the plate and launched a three-run, go-ahead homer off Yusmeiro Petit to give the Angels an 8-7 lead. He also singled and scored another run on a bases-loaded walk. With the long ball, he now has homered in two straight games and three of his past five. The 24-year-old has been finding his stride since coming off the injured list, batting .250/.333/.406 to go with five home runs, 20 RBI and nine runs scored in 24 games.

Blackmon (calf) will likely be activated from the injured list Friday, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Blackmon is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday. The outfielder will play for the Isotopes on Wednesday and Thursday, and if everything goes off without a hitch, he'll likely rejoin the Rockies ahead of Friday's series opener in New York.

Blackmon (calf) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Blackmon will join the Isotopes for what should be a brief rehab stint after getting through batting practice with no issues earlier in the week. The outfielder has been sidelined since May 24 with a calf injury, but he does appear to be drawing closer to a return.

Turner will bat third and play third base Wednesday against Arizona, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Turner missed the last four games last week with a hamstring issue and returned for just one game before sitting again Tuesday. Tuesday's off day was considered a maintenance day, however, and he should be able to start on a regular basis moving forward. More pre-scheduled off days should be expected in the future given Turner's age and injury history.

Dickerson was designated for assignment by the Padres on Wednesday.

This move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Miguel Diaz (knee), who was activated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday. Dickerson went just 3-for-19 (.158) with a trio of singles and two RBI in 12 appearances for the Padres before being sent to waivers.