MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters before Friday's game against the Mariners that Brantley (shoulder) could return to the lineup early next week against the Angels, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Brantley has been ruled out from returning over the weekend for the three-game set against the Mariners, but his season debut doesn't appear to be far off. The veteran outfielder has been recovering from surgery on his right shoulder, and he should see regular playing time as the designated hitter with some stints in left field and first base once he's back.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Carpenter will take a seat against Clayton Kershaw for Friday's series opener. Nelson Cruz will be the designated hitter and hit fifth.

McCutchen was scratched from Friday's lineup due to a left ankle sprain.

The severity of McCutchen's injury is yet to be determined, but it's apparently enough to keep him from Friday's contest against Toronto. Mark Mathias will take over as Pittsburgh's DH and bat eighth.

Cabrera (illness) is in the Tigers' lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

After missing the Tigers' last three games due to illness, Cabrera makes his return to the lineup. The 40-year-old DH is currently in the middle of the worst year of his career at the plate with a .477 OPS through 56 plate appearances.

Canha isn't starting Friday against the Rockies.

After snapping a three-game hit streak Thursday, Canha will get to rest Friday against Colorado. Tommy Pham will take his place in left field and bat seventh.

Turner went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-5 win over the Blue Jays.

Even at 38 years old, Turner can still swipe a bag here and there. He's notched now notched two steals this season. He's posted multiple hits in three straight games, raising his slash line to .286/.377/.389 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 17 runs scored and seven doubles through 33 contests. He won't pump up the counting stats much, but he's a solid stabilizer for batting average in fantasy.

Buxton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Buxton had an up-and-down performance Thursday, finishing the contest with a pair of walks, a pair of strikeouts and a game-tying solo home run in the eighth inning. The long ball marked Buxton's eighth in 29 games, while the 29-year-old holds a .262/.350/.570 slash line on the year. As long as Buxton stays healthy, which is a tall task considering he has played over 100 games just once in his nine MLB seasons, he should produce big numbers for fantasy managers who were willing to take the risk.

Jimenez went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's loss to the Twins.

Jimenez was the lone source of offense for the White Sox on Thursday, driving in all three of the team's runs and smacking his fourth home run on the season. However, his efforts were not enough for a win, as Chicago fell in 12 innings. He's in the midst of a seven-game hit streak during which he's gone 13-for-29 with a double, two homers, eight RBI and five runs.

Soler went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Atlanta.

Soler tagged Dylan Dodd for a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI double in the fifth, but that was the extent of Miami's run production. This was Soler's third three-hit effort of the year, but he'd gone just 2-for-33 over nine games since his last such performance. The 31-year-old is batting only .220, but his .765 OPS through 30 contests would be his highest since 2020. He's added six homers, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and nine doubles this season.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Thursday's 6-3 win over Miami.

Ozuna's fourth-inning solo shot put Atlanta up 4-2, which was all the offense the team needed to win. His last five games played have all come against Miami, and he's torched his former team by going 7-for-21 (.333) with three homers, six RBI, seven runs scored and a 3:5 BB:K over that span. That solid stretch has raised his slash line to .153/.256/.375 over 82 plate appearances, so he still has some work to do to get his numbers in the respectable range. He also has five homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored this season.