MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) is scheduled to take batting practice on the field with the team Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

While it remains unclear if Ohtani has hit in any simulated games since gaining clearance for live hitting, the fact that he'll be taking BP with the rest of his teammates is another step in the right direction. He remains on target for a May return, barring any setbacks.

Jimenez went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Tigers.

Jimenez went opposite field in the sixth inning off Detroit starter Tyson Ross for his third homer of the season. The RBI were his first in six games. The young outfielder told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he'd been too pull happy the first couple of weeks but is now seeing the ball better.

Turner (ankle, hamstring) is starting at third base and hitting third Thursday against the Brewers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner missed Tuesday's game due to an ankle bruise and hamstring tightness, but he was able to make a pinch-hit appearance Wednesday and reported no issues, clearing the way for him to rejoin the starting lineup. The veteran third baseman, who is slashing .297/.382/.328 with eight RBI through 18 games this season, will face right-hander Zach Davies in his first game back.

Ford is in the lineup as the designated hitter, hitting seventh against the Royals on Thursday.

Ford had his contract selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, and he'll slot in and make his MLB debut for this contest against Kansas City. The 26-year-old was off to a red-hot start to the season in Triple-A, with a .410/.467/.897 slash line over 39 at-bats prior to his callup.

Brantley went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Athletics.

Brantley has been front and center during the Astros' offensive revival over the last two weeks. He's hitting .385 (15-for-39) with eight RBI and seven runs scored over the last 10 games. As Houston's cleanup hitter, Brantley is in position to take advantage of on-base machines ahead of him in the lineup: George Springer, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.

Turner (ankle, hamstring) made a pinch-hit appearance in the Dodgers' 3-2 win over the Reds on Wednesday.

The third baseman has been held out of the starting lineup for the last two games after fouling a ball of his ankle and feeling hamstring tightness, but he came off the bench for Joc Pederson in the eighth inning of this contest. This is a good sign Turner's injuries are minor and he should be able to rejoin the starting lineup in short order.

Choi went 2-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

His third-inning blast off David Hess was Choi's first homer of the year, but he's stayed productive without going deep, putting together a .293/.373/.431 slash line through 16 games. Given the Rays' depth, the 27-year-old will need to keep hitting if he wants to retain a regular starting spot.

Carpenter went 1-for-5 with a solo homer in a 6-3 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday.

The veteran infielder has five hits, including four extra-base hits, in the last five games, and yet he's just barely sitting above the Mendoza Line with a .203 average. This shouldn't be alarming, as Carpenter hit .155 last April and still finished the season with a .257 average and a career-high 36 homers. It's frustrating right now, but Carpenter will more than likely reward owners with a hot streak at some point this summer.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with another home run, one RBI and a walk in a 6-3 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old hit a homer in each of the contests during the three-game set against the Brewers this week. He has eight home runs this season, and all of them have come in his last 10 games. Ozuna is batting .290 with 16 RBI, 13 runs and two steals in 62 at-bats over 17 games this year.

Reed was placed on the minor-league injured list Wednesday with an oblique strain, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Reed got off to a slow start with Triple-A Round Rock, slashing .163/.250/.209 with 19 strikeouts in 43 at-bats. The 25-year-old will be eligible to return April 24 but the severity of the injury is not known.