MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Twins.

Alvarez slammed a solo home run off Michael Pineda in the fourth inning to give the Astros a two-run lead. He was the only player to hit a homer in the game. The 24-year-old has homered three times in his last five games. On the season, he is slashing .284/.348/.525 with 22 long balls, 65 runs and a team-leading 73 RBI in 396 plate appearances.

Ohtani will be available off the bench for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Ohtani pinch hit in the 10th inning Friday, only to be intentionally walked. It's unclear if the two-way star will be in the starting nine Sunday, or if he'll just get some additional rest before the Angels return home to face Toronto.

Choi will sit Saturday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi's days off typically come against lefties, but he'll sit Saturday even with the Rays facing a righty in Spenser Watkins. Yandy Diaz will start at first base, with Joey Wendle starting at third.

Lewis (knee) has continued to participate in baseball activities but remains without a return timetable, the Associated Press reports.

The Mariners are unsurprisingly being cautious with their talented outfielder, but the encouraging aspect of his recovery is he's apparently remained free of setbacks for the last several weeks. Lewis is very likely to need a fairly robust rehab assignment given the length of his absence.

Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Martinez wasn't feeling well Friday night or Saturday morning, so he'll be away from the team as a precautionary measure. He'll miss extended time if he tests positive for the virus, but the 33-year-old will be eligible to return as soon as he clears the league's health and safety protocols if he tests negative.

Martinez went 1-for-4 in Friday's 12-4 loss to Toronto.

Martinez had a seventh-inning single, a couple of frames after it was needed. The slugger left the bases loaded with an inning-ending pop out in the fifth. At the time, the Red Sox were up 2-0 and threatening. Martinez is one of several members of the Red Sox stuck in a slump; he's 9-for-60 (.150) with one home run and four RBI over the last 15 games.

Winker went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 10-0 win over the Pirates.

The 27-year-old continues to enjoy a breakout campaign. Winker's 22 homers, 61 RBI and 72 runs are already career highs, and he's on pace for personal bests in batting average (.303) and SLG (.546) as well.

Jimenez started in left field and went 1-for-3 in Friday's 8-6 win over the Cubs.

The White Sox brought Jimenez gently back from a groin injury that forced him to miss four games. Friday's contest, his fourth appearance since the injury, was the first time in the field.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in Friday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to Minnesota.

The slugger is on a five-game hitting streak, going 7-for-19 (.368) in that span. Alvarez kept Houston's chances alive in the 10th inning with an RBI single as his third hit of the game, after which he was replaced by pinch runner Jake Meyers. Through 392 plate appearances, Alvarez is slashing .284/.349/.520 with 21 home runs, 72 RBI, 64 runs scored and a stolen base. He's been limited mainly to designated hitter duties, but there's a chance he could eventually draw starts at first base to cover for the absence of Yuli Gurriel (neck).

Blackmon went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and two walks in Friday's 14-2 win over the Marlins.

Blackmon's seventh homer of the year was a two-run shot off Sandy Alcantara during a nine-run fourth inning. He boosted his season OPS to .754 with 27 extra-base hits through 401 plate appearances. Over his previous five games, Blackmon was stuck in a 1-for-17 slump with one RBI.