Toronto recalled Horwitz from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Horwitz returns to the majors as a backup at first base and in the corner outfield with rosters expanding from 26 to 28. The 25-year-old went 2-for-8 in a brief stint with the Blue Jays back in June and has posted an impressive .337/.450/.495 slash line with 10 homers and 72 RBI across 107 games this summer at Triple-A.

Belt (back) is serving as the Blue Jays' designated hitter and batting cleanup Friday at Colorado.

Belt missed the final two games of the Jays' previous series against the Nationals due to nagging back trouble, but he's good to go Friday versus the Rockies. The 35-year-old has registered an .834 OPS with 15 home runs through 94 games this season for Toronto, and he's a career .317/.375/.563 hitter at Coors Field.

The Blue Jays will recall Horwitz from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Eric Treuden of Jays Journal reports.

Horwitz already had a brief three-game stint with the Jays in June and went 2-for-8 with an RBI and a run scored. He's slashed .337/.450/.495 across 484 plate appearances with Triple-A Buffalo and will serve as a bench bat down the stretch as the Jays make a push for the postseason.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Brantley made his season debut Tuesday and proceeded to tally his first hit one game later. Sidelined for the entire season while recovering from shoulder surgery, it's unclear how much Brantley will be able to contribute for the rest of the regular season. Even so, the Astros appear to be willing to give him regular playing time, as he's started both games since being activated while hitting sixth.

Buxton (hamstring) started in center field Wednesday and went 1-for-2 with two walks at Triple-A St. Paul. He played seven innings. It was the first time Buxton has played in the field in 2023.

Buxton has been on the injured list since Aug. 4 with a strained right hamstring. It's not clear how long his rehab assignment will last, but he could be activated in early September. Once activated, the 29-year-old looks like he'll get the chance to play his first innings in the field with the big club in 2023 after serving exclusively as a designated hitter prior to landing on the IL on Aug. 4.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI against the Tigers in Wednesday's 6-2 win.

Stanton kicked off the scoring in the contest with a first-inning RBI single and added a 425-foot solo blast in the fourth. The long ball was his sixth in August, though three of them came in a three-game stretch near the start of the month. Overall, Stanton has swatted 20 home runs on the campaign, the 12th time in 14 career seasons he has reached that mark.

Torrens signed a minor-league contract Wednesday with the Mariners.

Torrens has reported to Triple-A Tacoma and will serve as organizational depth at catcher down the stretch. The 27-year-old slashed .239/.297/.388 in 181 major-league games for Seattle between 2020-2022. He had brief stints earlier this summer with the Cubs and the Triple-A affiliate of the Nationals.

Belt (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, but manager John Schneider didn't rule out Belt being available as a pinch hitter, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Given that back troubles are nothing new for Belt, the Blue Jays will most likely stay away from him if they can help it. The 35-year-old is optimistic that he'll be able to avoid the 10-day injured list and return to the lineup in short order, and he should benefit from the Blue Jays having off Thursday before opening a three-game series in Colorado on Friday.

Belt told Hazel Mae of Sportsnet on Wednesday that his back injury is "not going to keep me out for a long time."

Belt had been set to enter mid-game in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals, but he noted that his back locked up on him after he took some swings. The veteran said he's dealt with back problems in the past and thus knows how to manage them. Belt may receive another day off or two to move past the issue, but the 35-year-old seems confident that he'll be able to avoid the injured list.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Red Sox.

Alvarez went back-to-back with Alex Bregman in the first inning Tuesday, staking Houston to an early 2-0 lead. The 26-year-old Alvarez has logged multiple hits in each of his last four games -- he's gone 11-for-20 (.550) with two homers and a 1.609 OPS in that span, boosting his slash line to .293/.397/.576 with 23 homers, 77 RBI and 61 runs scored through 373 plate appearances in another impressive campaign.