MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday there's a chance Alvarez (oblique) returns to the lineup Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez will be re-evaluated Wednesday and could start against the Rangers if everything goes well. The star slugger has been on the injured list since June 9 and began a rehab assignment Wednesday. He's played three games with Triple-A Sugar Land, going 3-for-9 with two RBI and two walks.

Alvarez (oblique) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday's game versus the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that it's possible Alvarez would return to action Tuesday or Wednesday, but we can now cross the first day off that list. The slugger has been on the shelf early June due to a right oblique strain. Houston is idle Thursday, leaving Alvarez with potentially four games to play in this week if he returns Wednesday.

Encarnacion-Strand is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Jake Fraley will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and Joey Votto will cover first base versus the Brewers and ace right-hander Corbin Burnes. Encarnacion-Strand went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Monday's loss to Milwaukee and is slashing .269/.296/.385 through his first 27 major-league plate appearances.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-4 win over the Padres.

McCutchen's steal was his 10th of the season, his most thefts since 2018. The 36-year-old has hit safely in six of his seven games since the All-Star break, going 6-for-23 (.261) with five walks in that span. He's slashing .268/.384/.415 with 10 home runs, 28 RBI and 43 runs scored over 81 contests. With Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi competing for first base, McCutchen doesn't have a hold on an everyday role at designated hitter.

Martinez (hamstring) should be available off the bench to hit Monday against the Blue Jays, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Martinez isn't in the starting nine Monday due to tightness in his left hamstring, but he's expected to return to action Tuesday. Skipper Dave Roberts indicated before the first game of the series that Martinez might also be able to pinch hit if needed. The team will likely have another update on the slugger's status prior to Tuesday's clash.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said that Alvarez (oblique) is still being evaluated and could be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday or Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Houston general manager Dana Brown previously said late last week that Alvarez was expected to be activated Monday, but the organization has ultimately decided to wait one more day to make a roster move. Alvarez is back with the team in Houston and was spotted working out on the field Monday after he took part in three rehab games last week with Triple-A Sugar Land, going 3-for-9 with two walks and a double. The slugger, who has been sidelined since early June due to a right oblique strain, will have an opportunity to play a maximum of five games this week if the Astros activate him Tuesday.

Winker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

Winker has now sat out three times in the last five games, with all three of those absences coming against right-handed pitching. The 30-year-old has been a strict platoon player all season, but his underwhelming .557 OPS in 183 plate appearances versus righties looks as though it's beginning to cost him playing time. Since Winker offers little defensive value as a corner outfielder, he could wind up being a roster casualty if he doesn't show dramatic improvement with his hitting. Winker is on an $8.25 million salary for 2023 but is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Alvarez (oblique) was spotted taking part in running drills in the outfield Monday, but he wasn't activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of the Astros' series opener versus the Rangers, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

According to Rome, general manager Dana Brown recently said that the Astros planned to have Alvarez back in the lineup for Monday's series opener following a three-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land over the weekend, but the big club will delay any roster move for at least one more day. Manager Dusty Baker didn't shed much light on the situation when asked Monday, making it difficult to discern whether Alvarez wasn't activated for the series opener as a matter of precaution or because his oblique is acting up again. After Monday, the Astros will play just five more games this week, so fantasy managers in weekly leagues who were planning on including Alvarez in active lineups may be best off keeping him on the bench or in a reserve spot while his status is uncertain.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Sunday's 7-5 win over Pittsburgh.

After Bryan Reynolds went deep in the first inning to give the Pirates an early lead, Ohtani responded with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame to tie things up. The long ball was the 36th of the campaign for the two-way star, moving him four homers ahead of Matt Olson for the major-league lead. Ohtani has been on a torrid power surge over his past 39 games, slugging 21 home runs and driving in 36 runs while slashing .348/.472/.894 over that span.

Ford went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk in a loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Ford started at designated hitter and took Alek Manoah deep in the second inning for his second homer in the last four games. The journeyman slugger has cooled off in terms of average over his first 10 post-All-Star-break games -- he's hitting just .222 and has an accompanying .300 on-base percentage over that span -- but he's also posted an impressive .593 slugging percentage thanks to lacing four of his six hits for extra bases in the sample.