MLB Player News

Beer entered Friday's game as a pinch hitter and hit a home run in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to Seattle.

Beer, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day, homered in first plate appearance in the majors. The lefty-hitting Beer hit for first baseman Christian Walker against right-hander Diego Castillo and went on to serve as designated hitter for the final inning. The 2018 first-round pick of the Astros posted a .909 OPS with 16 home runs and 33 doubles over 100 games for the Aces. He played primarily at first base in the minors and joins Pavin Smith as a second left-handed bat to complement Walker at the position.

Buxton went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Royals.

Buxton led off the first inning with a home run off Daniel Lynch. He failed to reach base in his other four plate appearances. He is struggling since coming off the 10-day injured list on Aug. 27, batting just .130 in 13 games. On the season, he is slashing .287/.325/.599 with 12 long balls, 22 RBI, 27 runs and five steals in 166 plate appearances. Buxton has shown he has elite talent over the last few years; however, he cannot stay healthy and he hasn't played more than 87 games in a season since 2017.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with a double, one RBI, two runs scored and three walks in Friday's 10-5 win over the Angels.

Alvarez drew three walks in a game for the first time this season. He doubled in the third inning, driving in Alex Bregman. In addition, he scored in the third and fourth innings. The 24-year-old is slashing .279/.345/.527 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 91 RBI. He's added 80 runs this season in 510 plate appearances.

Soler went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over Miami.

Soler ripped a two-run single during Atlanta's five-run fifth inning. He's now riding an eight-game hitting streak, going 12-for-36 (.333) with five RBI during the stretch. His season OPS sits at .736 through 512 plate appearances after producing just a .658 OPS through 360 plate appearances before being traded by the Royals.

Ohtani (9-2) allowed six earned runs on nine hits while striking out one across 3.1 innings, taking the loss to the Astros on Friday. He went 1-for-1 with a solo home run and two walks at the plate.

It was an uncharacteristic start for Ohtani, taking his first loss since May 28. Prior to Friday's game, seven of his last eight outings were quality starts. However, he had another solid day at the plate, reaching base on all three plate appearances and homering off Framber Valdez in the first inning. He leads MLB with 44 homers while carrying a 3.36 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 10.6 K/9 this season.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's lineup against the White Sox due to back spasms, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was visiting with trainers ahead of Friday's game, and he'll ultimately be unable to start. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench, but Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter while Danny Santana enters the lineup in left field.

Beer's contract was selected by the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Beer isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners but could get the chance to make his major-league debut off the bench. The 24-year-old, who was acquired in the Zack Greinke trade in 2019, is a decent prospect but not an elite one, as he really only stands out in the power department. He's exclusively played first base this season after previously spending some time in the outfield corners, so he'll really have to hit to carve out regular at-bats at the highest level. He did just that in 100 games for Triple-A Reno, slashing .287/.398/.511 with 16 homers while striking out just 17.5 percent of the time. Drew Ellis was optioned to clear a spot on the roster.

Winker (ribs) hit on the field Friday and could go on a rehab assignment soon if his body recovers well from the activity, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

An intercostal strain has kept Winker out for nearly a month. Reports from last Friday indicated that the outfielder was about a week from beginning a rehab assignment, and he still appears to be on that same timeline.

Ozuna (finger) was placed on administrative leave under the league's domestic violence policy Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The transaction stems from Ozuna's late-May arrest for aggravated assault and family violence. He hasn't played since that incident but wasn't actually on leave, as he was instead on the injured list after fracturing a pair of fingers just days before his arrest. The status of those injuries isn't clear, but he's unlikely to play any time soon due to the administrative leave. He's technically only on leave for seven days, but players in similar situations have nearly always seen that leave extended several times while the league continues its investigation. Ozuna agreed to enter a diversion program Thursday which could see his charges dropped within six months, but MLB can still come to its own conclusions regarding any potential suspension regardless of the court's decision.

Ramirez is not starting Friday against the Brewers.

He'll sit after going 2-for-11 with a double during the previous three games. Bradley Zimmer shifts to left field as Franmil Reyes starts in right field Friday.