MLB Player News

Blackmon will sit Saturday against the Reds.

Blackmon hits the bench after starting 13 straight games, a stretch in which he hit an excellent .422/.509/.622, dragging his OPS up to .792 following a slow start. Yonathan Daza starts in right field in his absence.

Ohtani started Friday's 6-5 win over Arizona, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision. At the plate he went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run and an RBI.

He fouled a ball off his knee early in the game and said it felt pretty stiff afterward, per Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Ohtani has been showcasing his well-rounded skillset all season and Friday was yet another example, as he's allowed four runs or less in each appearance on the mound this season. He's also tied for the MLB lead in extra-base hits with Nick Castellanos at 35. Once he was done pitching for the night, Ohtani moved to right field, which is the fifth time he has appeared in the outfield this season.

Brantley went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 6-4 victory versus Minnesota.

After getting a day off to rest Thursday, Brantley went right back to his hot-hitting ways Friday, notching his second four-hit game of the campaign. In the process, he upped his season average to .328 and extended his current hit streak to 10 games. Over that stretch, Brantley has batted .413 (19-for-46) with three doubles and six RBI.

Turner went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a 12-1 win over the Rangers on Friday.

Turner went back-to-back with Max Muncy in the first inning off starter Mike Foltynewicz but was otherwise quiet. The home run was Turner's 12th in 60 games after swatting only four in 42 games last season, and he's on pace to slug more homers than doubles (10) for the first time in his career.

Lewis had surgery on his right meniscus Wednesday and is without a timetable to return, Brad Adam of ROOT Sports Northwest reports.

While any knee surgery is a significant procedure, Lewis could still return sometime in the second half of the season in this case. He recently received a second opinion that apparently led to the decision to get the surgery. In the meantime, Jake Fraley, Taylor Trammell and Mitch Haniger should all be near-everyday players in Seattle's outfield.

Pederson went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI Friday against the Cardinals.

He took right-hander Johan Oviedo deep on a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning and also hit a double. Pederson was thrown out on a stolen base attempt for the third time in three tries this season, so he probably can't be counted on to attempt many more steals going forward. He has four home runs over his last seven games and all eight of his home runs on the year have come against righties.

Stanton won't start in the outfield during the series in Philadelphia this weekend, Pete Caldera of USA Today reports.

Stanton returned from a quad injury May 28 and the Yankees have continued to be cautious with the slugger. Part of that plan has been limiting Stanton to DH duty for now, and that will continue during the series in the National League park over the weekend. The 31-year-old will surely get some at-bats off the bench against the Phillies, however.

Choi (groin) received eight at-bats at extended spring training and will play the field in a rehab game Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 30-year-old will be re-evaluated after playing the field since he's eligible to return from the injured list Sunday. Choi could be activated for Sunday's series finale versus the Orioles if all goes well during his rehab work this weekend.

Buxton (hip) will go through a workout at Target Field on Friday and rejoin Triple-A St. Paul for his rehab assignment Saturday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old has appeared in two games with St. Paul and will play a third after going through the workout. If all goes well, Buxton could rejoin the active roster for Sunday's series finale with Houston, or he could be activated during the three-game set at Seattle, which begins Monday.

Choi (groin) could face live pitching in extended spring training games Friday and Saturday, the team's official site reports.

If he indeed gets in on some game action over the next two days, Choi could be deemed ready for activation when first eligible Sunday. Choi has seemingly had a good week physically, as he reported feeling better while fielding grounders Tuesday.