MLB Player News

Hummel (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Hummel was placed on the COVID-19 IL last week and will rejoin the Diamondbacks ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old has appeared in 32 games in his first taste of big-league action this year and has a .190/.313/.354 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI and two stolen bases.

Choi isn't starting Thursday against the Yankees.

Choi has started exclusively against right-handed pitchers this year, and he'll get a breather with southpaw Nestor Cortes on the mound Thursday. Wander Franco will serve as the designated hitter while Harold Ramirez enters the lineup at first base.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with two walks Wednesday against the Pirates.

Blackmon has one hit in nine of his last 10 starts, but none have been multi-hit efforts. He's smacked two home runs in that span, also collecting four RBI and five runs scored. Overall, he has maintained a .221/.289/.393 line across 163 plate appearances on the season.

Soler went 1-for-4 with one homer, one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's loss against the Rays.

After striking out in his first plate appearance, Soler blasted a leadoff homer in the fourth to cut Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1. It was the slugger's seventh home run in May and his ninth of the season. Soler is currently slashing .207/.292/.725 with 22 RBI and 16 walks.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Marlins.

Ramirez went yard in the first inning to collect his second home run of the season and in as many days. He's tallied multiple hits in three of his last seven starts, during which he's also driven in four and scored four runs. Despite the strong stretch, Ramirez could find himself squeezed for playing time due to the return of Manuel Margot.

Morel is leading off for the third straight game Thursday against the Reds.

Morel is not a true pop-up prospect, as he has been on the periphery of Cubs top prospect lists for half a decade, but his performance at Double-A and the majors this year has represented a massive shift in quality of play. He is hitting .296/.406/.556 with two home runs and one steal in eight games since his call-up and his hard-hit metrics largely support this strong start. Now that Nico Hoerner is healthy, it appears Morel will get most of his work in center field. It's unclear if Morel will be able to stick up once Jason Heyward is activated from the COVID-19 injured list.

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the Rangers.

There weren't many highlights for the Angels in the contest, but Ohtani did help the team get an early jump by leading off the first inning with a walk, swiping second base and coming around to score on an Anthony Rendon single. After collecting a career-high 26 steals last season, the two-way star is on a similar pace with seven thefts through 44 contests in 2022. Most of his other offensive numbers are slightly down, but Ohtani is still putting up solid production with nine homers, 28 RBI and 30 runs scored.

Harper went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a run in Wednesday's loss to the Braves.

Harper singled in each of his first two at-bats before notching a double and scoring in the fifth frame. He added another double in the ninth inning and his four-hit effort was his ninth multi-hit game in his last 14 contests. Over that stretch, Harper has batted .458 with 16 extra-base hits including six homers, 13 runs, 16 RBI and three stolen bases. The dominant span has his season-long stats up to a .318 average with 10 long balls, 31 RBI, 31 runs and six stolen bases over 154 at-bats in 39 games this season.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and two walks Wednesday against the Mets.

Pederson went yard in the first inning to record his 11th home run of the season. Through his first 14 games in May, Pederson hit just .051 with one home run. However, across his last five starts, he's tallied seven hits in 14 at-bats, with four home runs -- three came Tuesday against the Mets -- 10 RBI and four runs scored. On the campaign, Pederson has maintained a .260/.331/.606 line across 118 plate appearances.

Manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday's win over the Orioles that Stanton is dealing with right ankle inflammation rather than a calf strain as previously announced, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old's injury was labeled as a calf issue when he exited Tuesday's contest and when he was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Wednesday, but it instead appears he's managing an ankle issue. It's unclear exactly how long Stanton will be out, but Boone hopes the slugger will be able to be activated when first eligible June 4.