MLB Player News

Brantley (ankle) is starting in right field and batting second Tuesday against the Dodgers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brantley exited Sunday's loss to the Giants with an ankle injury, but X-rays came back negative and he won't end up missing any time. The veteran outfielder is hitting .362/.455/.489 with one homer, three doubles, four RBI and 12 runs in 14 games since the All-Star break.

Jimenez (groin) is batting cleanup as the designated hitter in Tuesday's game against the Royals, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The young slugger will be playing in just his fourth game of the season, hoping to avoid aggravating the groin injury that has sidelined him since July 28. In his brief action last week, Jimenez went 2-for-11 with a home run and three RBI.

Torrens is on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

The 25-year-old went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts Monday, lowering his average to .189 in the last 10 games. Torrens has hit two home runs and drawn five walks in that span, though. Ty France will be the designated hitter Tuesday, with Jake Bauers getting a start at first base.

The Fulton County (Ga.) District Attorney's office dropped a felony charge of aggravated assault strangulation against Ozuna (fingers), but the outfielder will be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of family battery violence and simple assault in connection with his May 29 arrest, Alexis Stevens and Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The two misdemeanor charges both carry up to a year of jail time. Major League Baseball continues to hold its own investigation into the incident and has the ability to discipline Ozuna regardless of how the legal process plays out, per the terms of the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence Policy. Prior to his arrest, Ozuna was placed on the 10-day injured list May 26 after he was diagnosed with two broken fingers on his left hand. He should be at or near full health nearly two months later, but expect Ozuna to remain inactive for Atlanta until the legal matter is resolved.

Ohtani will make his next start Wednesday at Texas, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Angels manager Joe Maddon had previously suggested that a sore thumb would prevent Ohtani from returning to the mound until at least Thursday, but the two-way star is now on track to return a day earlier. According to the Associated Press, Ohtani "felt good" while throwing before Monday's contest, which no doubt was a key factor in the decision to start him Wednesday. The right-handed hurler has posted a 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 100:36 K:BB across 80 innings this season.

Choi is not starting Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi has gone hitless with a pair of strikeouts in his last two games, lowering his average to .250 in the last 10 games. Yandy Diaz will start at first base Tuesday, with Joey Wendle playing third base.

Dickerson went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a triple in Monday's 11-8 extra-inning win over Arizona.

The veteran outfielder entered Monday on an 0-for-15 skid, but he broke the slump in a big way with his fifth-inning grand slam. Dickerson now has a career-high 11 homers to go with 32 RBI, 25 runs scored and a stolen base through 232 plate appearances. His slash line sits at .222/.289/.425, which has led to him losing at-bats against right-handed pitching, although he got into the lineup Monday with LaMonte Wade nursing a back injury.

McCutchen was placed on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation Monday, retroactive to Aug. 1, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

McCutchen was slated to miss a second straight game Monday, but he'll land on the IL after he underwent an MRI on Sunday. The Phillies haven't said whether the outfielder will require more than 10 days on the shelf, but Brad Miller and Luke Williams could see increased playing time in his absence.

Alvarez entered Sunday's game after Michael Brantley twisted his ankle in the third inning of a 5-3 loss to the Giants. He went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Alvarez was held out of the starting lineup the last two days while Houston played in a National League ballpark, but that practice might change given the injury to Brantley, who is day-to-day. With games in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday, Alvarez may be needed for left field if manager Dusty Baker is comfortable using him in the field two consecutive days.

Reyes went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.

The slugger isn't known for his speed, but he's now successfully stolen three bases this season. Reyes is 8-for-16 with three home runs and a double across his last four games. Cleveland's primary designated hitter owns a .275/.324/.603 slash line with 20 homers, 51 RBI and 34 runs scored through 243 plate appearances.