MLB Player News

Stanton is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Blue Jays.

Stanton is in the middle of a 1-for-26 stretch at the plate to dip his OPS on the season below .700 for the first time in the second half. Aaron Judge will get a day in the designated hitter spot while Jake Bauers handles right field.

Rooker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.

Rooker was one of the few bright spots for Oakland's bats, hitting the second of two Athletics homers off George Kirby when he launched a 410-foot shot with Seth Brown aboard in the sixth. The rookie has now left the yard in four of his last seven games, a welcome power surge that's helped him push his season-long OPS over the .800 mark (.801).

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday he does not plan to shut down Turner, who has been dealing with a bone bruise in his heel since August, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Cora pledged Wednesday that the team will play out the string with its best players, and Turner has been one of them for much of the season. He started Wednesday's game, his 17th start through 19 games in September, but the injury may be taking its toll; Turner has a .625 OPS during the month. The player has given Cora no indication that he can't finish the season. "He won't tell me. He's always available. He wants to play," Cora said. "We signed him for 162-plus but right now, it looks like it's 162 and we've got to play through it. We've got to play all the way to the end." Turner is hitting .280 with 23 home runs, 95 RBI and an .818 OPS this season.

Garver went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 15-5 win over Boston.

Garver, who was given a day off Tuesday amid a fallow stretch, returned to the lineup Wednesday and homered during Texas' six-run second inning that wiped out an early 4-0 deficit. It was his 18th home run in 78 games, the most homers and games played since the 2019 season. Garver was in a 1-for-19 stretch before Tuesday's off day.

Buxton (knee) will resume playing in rehab games with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton's assignment was shut down after he suffered a knee injury in a Triple-A game Sept. 1 while working his way back from a strained hamstring. He has received a cortisone injection in his knee since then and has now been cleared to resume game action. Barring any further setbacks, Buxton could still make his way back into the Twins' lineup before the end of the regular season.

Kjerstad went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Astros.

Kjerstad padded the Orioles' lead in the seventh inning with his second homer in five games since he was called up. He's gone 4-for-13 with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old has made all three of his starts at designated hitter, though he can also be an option at first base and in the corner outfield in a pinch. For now, it appears the Orioles are focused on letting him hit in a part-time role versus right-handed pitchers.

Buxton (knee) remains hopeful of resuming a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul soon, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

St. Paul's season ends Sunday, so if Buxton gets into some rehab games it will need to happen soon. The outfielder received a cortisone injection for his ailing right knee earlier this month and has continued hitting, throwing and running. It's not clear whether playing center field could still be an option for Buxton or if the Twins plan to continue limiting him to designated hitter duty when/if he returns.

Alvarez is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Orioles.

Alvarez is hitting .298 with five home runs, nine runs and 16 RBI in 17 games this month. Yainer Diaz draws the start at designated hitter while Jake Meyers gets a nod in the outfield.

Ohtani underwent surgery on his right elbow Tuesday, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, confirmed the right-hander had the procedure in Los Angeles on Tuesday, though Bazelo didn't clarify the nature of the surgery. However, Bazelo noted that Ohtani's procedure "reinforced the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow," which likely indicates that the two-way star opted for an alternative to Tommy John surgery. Citing comments from Ohtani's surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Balelo relayed that the 29-year-old is expected to make a full recovery and will be ready to hit without restrictions by Opening Day, though Ohtani won't be cleared to pitch again until 2025. Ohtani, who is also recovering from an oblique injury that will prevent him from serving as a designated hitter the rest of the season, will finish the 2023 campaign with a .304/.412/.654 slash -- all of which represent career highs -- 44 home runs and 20 stolen bases across 594 plate appearances. Before suffering the elbow injury in late August, Ohtani also maintained a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings as a pitcher. Ohtani is set to become a free agent this offseason and is certain to spark a bidding war between many teams, even though he'll be limited strictly to hitting in 2024.

Belt (back) began a hitting progression Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager John Schneider noted that Belt may be able to play in a rehab game with Triple-A Buffalo before the minor-league season ends, but it will depend on how quickly Belt is able to recover. The 35-year-old landed on the injured list Sept. 12 due to back spasms and should still be able to make it back to Toronto's lineup before the end of the season.