Martinez isn't in the Mets' lineup for Thursday's game versus San Diego.

Martinez will take a seat for Thursday's series opener after going 2-for-12 with two home runs and six RBI during New York's previous series against the Orioles. His absence will allow Jesse Winker to serve as the Mets' designated hitter while batting fifth.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a stolen base Wednesday in an 8-4 victory over the Mariners.

Ohtani has begun to emerge from a slump that saw him bat .164 over his first 14 games in August -- he's since built a five-game hitting streak during which he's batting .300 with two homers, two RBI and five runs. The slugger has added four thefts during that span to push his total to a career-high 39 in 43 attempts. Ohtani is now one home run and one stolen base away from going 40-40 on the campaign.

The Orioles optioned Soto to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Emmanuel Rivera, who has officially reported to the club after being claimed off waivers. Soto has had two brief stints with the Orioles this season but has yet to appear in a game.

The Brewers optioned Black to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

Black will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to outfielder Blake Perkins (calf), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. After getting recalled from Nashville on Aug. 12, Black started at designated hitter in five of the Brewers' ensuing nine games while going 2-for-15 with three walks against five strikeouts. Now that Black is out of the mix, the Brewers will likely rotate a number of players at DH, with Gary Sanchez, Jake Bauers and Perkins all being candidates to see upticks in opportunities.

Fry is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Fry is on the bench for a fourth straight matchup versus a right-handed pitcher (Gerrit Cole) and seems to have moved into a short-side platoon role while his bat has cooled down since the All-Star break. Jhonkensy Noel will occupy the designated-hitter spot Thursday, and he and Will Brennan should continue to get playing time against right-handers at Fry's expense.

Larnach went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a run and an RBI in an 11-4 victory against San Diego on Wednesday.

Larnach was a big part of a Minnesota offensive explosion that included 18 hits. It was the outfielder's first game this season with more than two knocks, and the big performance increased his season batting average from .243 to .253. Wednesday marked the first four-hit effort of Larnach's career.

Baker hit a two-run home run in his lone at-bat in Wednesday's 10-6 extra-inning win over the Brewers.

Baker provided a game-tying blast in the seventh inning to knot the score at 4-4 in his first major-league at-bat of the season. The slugger slashed .209/.313/.314 with two homers and 10 RBI over 33 games in the majors last season, and he was slashing .231/.345/.535 with 32 homers and 79 RBI across 108 contests with Triple-A Memphis prior to his call-up Tuesday. Baker figures to be a short-side platoon option at designated hitter as well as a top bench bat whenever a southpaw reliever enters for an opponent. He may not get many starts, however, as starting catcher Willson Contreras is typically the DH when the Cardinals face lefty starters.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 victory versus Seattle.

Ohtani laced a triple in the third inning and added a single in the eighth. Following his final hit, the slugger swiped second base for his 38th theft of the campaign. Ohtani also has 39 home runs through 124 games, so he appears to be a lock for the sixth 40-40 season in MLB history. He has a legitimate shot at MLB's first 50-50 campaign, as he's currently on pace for 50 homers and 48 thefts.

Encarnacion will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Earlier this month, Encarnacion appeared to have taken hold of a full-time role while dabbling between designated hitter and the corner outfield, but he looks to have moved into a short-side platoon role following Grant McCray's promotion from Triple-A Sacramento last Wednesday. Each of the right-handed-hitting Encarnacion's last three starts have come against left-handed pitching, while he's been excluded from the lineup in each of the Giants' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers.

Carpenter hit a two-run home-run as a pinch hitter in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.

Carpenter was activated earlier in the day after a minimum-length stay on the injured list due to a back strain. He's played in just seven games since the All-Star break, going 4-for-10 with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored in those contests. The 38-year-old is expected to remain in a bench role most of the time, while Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to garner most of the at-bats at designated hitter. Carpenter is slashing .261/.336/.414 with four homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 125 plate appearances.