MLB Player News
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Sits against southpaw
Choi is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi is taking a seat against Marlins southpaw Jesus Luzardo, but the lefty-hitting first baseman could see his opportunities against right-handed pitching soon trend downward as well. Isaac Paredes has supplied an .819 OPS in August, 364 points above Choi's own mark on the month. It wouldn't be surprising if manager Kevin Cash elected to open up a full-time role for Paredes at Choi's expense.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Takes seat Tuesday
Turner is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, according to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA.
Turner racked up 15 hits and hit .405 over his last nine games, but he will get a day off after starting the last five contests -- four of those at third base. Max Muncy will man the hot corner for the Dodgers on Monday night.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Giants' Joc Pederson: Homers in return to lineup
Pederson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Padres on Monday.
Pederson sat out two games with a groin issue, but he was able to return to action Monday. The outfielder showed that the injury was minor by slugging a 420-foot, two-run shot in the fourth inning. Pederson is one long ball shy of his first 20-homer campaign since 2019.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Belts decisive homer
Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 4-3 victory versus the Yankees on Monday.
Ohtani got to Frankie Montas for a two-run blast that broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. The Yankees managed only one run the rest of the way, so the two-way star's long ball proved to be the game-winner. Ohtani is up to 29 home runs on the campaign after slugging 46 last season. He's gone 5-for-8 with two homers and four RBI over his past two games.
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Mike Ford DH | MIN
Angels' Mike Ford: Hammers homer against former team
Ford went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.
Ford's solo shot to right field in the fourth inning tied the score and served as a bit of revenge against the club that DFA'd him last June. He bounced around to five different organizations -- including serving two different stints with Seattle -- before finding work with the Angels last week, and he's settled in as the team's primary first baseman. Ford's homer Monday was his first in 27 games this season, and he's gone 6-for-19 through five contests with Los Angeles.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Could join team on road trip
Buxton (hip) will not travel with the team for its upcoming road trip but could join later on if he shows enough improvement, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Buxton will continue to take part in his rehab from Minnesota, but there is a small bit of hope that he could join the team on the upcoming road trip, which concludes Sept. 8 against the Yankees. His availability will hinge on how he feels in his rehab activities after playing banged up for most of the 2022 campaign.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Getting second opinion
Belt will get a second opinion on his injured knee Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
An MRI taken Friday on Belt's injured knee came back negative, but he apparently needs another look. The team figures to release another update on his status after the results of his latest exam are read.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Giants' Joc Pederson: Back in action
Pederson (groin) is starting in left field and batting fourth Monday against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Pederson had missed his club's last two contests while dealing with a groin issue, but he's been cleared to return for the series opener. He's 10-for-30 with one home run, two RBI and three runs scored over his last 10 games.
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Bligh Madris DH | STL
Pirates' Bligh Madris: Optioned to Indianapolis
Madris was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.
Madris posted just a .345 OPS over 24 games after being recalled by the Pirates in late July, so the club decided to send him back down to iron some things out. If he is able to he could return to the majors before the campaign comes to a close.
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Kyle Lewis DH | ARI
Mariners' Kyle Lewis: Struggling early at Tacoma
Lewis owns just a .200/.231/.200 slash line and a 38.5 percent strikeout rate over the 26 plate appearances covering his first six games since being demoted to Triple-A Tacoma.
The outfielder initially resisted the demotion to the Rainiers and consequently didn't play in his first game for the team until nine days following the move, but if early returns are any indication, Lewis does indeed have some work to do before facing big-league arms again. The 27-year-old has shown some signs of coming around over the last three games by going 4-for-14 with a pair of RBI and a run in that span, yet he's still in search of his first extra-base hit since being sent down.