MLB Player News
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Outfield return possible
Buxton (hamstring) could play center field once he's deemed ready to return from the 10-day injured list, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Buxton has exclusively served as the Twins' designated hitter this season in an effort to keep him healthy, but it's hard to call the plan a success. Even with the extreme caution, he's still landed on the IL twice, though as long as he returns in time to appear in eight more games, he will have reached the second-highest mark (93) of his career. His numbers at the plate (.207/.294/.438) have taken a considerable hit, however, which may or may not be linked with his role change. The Twins have yet to officially announce that he will indeed start outfield work as part of his rehab, but manager Rocco Baldelli said Saturday that the team was having conversations about the idea.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Heads to bench
Belt will sit Saturday against the Reds.
As expected, Belt will hit the bench with a lefty (Brandon Williamson) on the mound for the opposition. He has just 32 plate appearances against southpaws this year, making just five starts. Davis Schneider will serve as the designated hitter.
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Mike Ford DH | MIN
Mariners' Mike Ford: Belts 12th homer Friday
Ford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Astros on Friday.
Ford's sixth-inning blast off J.P. France accounted for the second and final run of the night. The journeyman slugger's round-tripper was his first since July 23, a 12-game span that saw Ford limp to a .063 average and .283 OPS while striking out at a 43.2 percent clip over 37 plate appearances. He's continued to log somewhat regular playing time despite the significant struggles, but it remains to be seen how much longer that will continue on a team contending for a wild-card spot.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Rays' Harold Ramirez: Drives in two
Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI on Friday against the Angels.
Ramirez delivered RBI knocks in back-to-back at-bats and now has a five-game hitting streak. In that span, he's gone 10-for-18 with five RBI and four runs scored. Ramirez has gotten inconsistent playing time for much of the season, though the absences of Manuel Margot (elbow) and more recently Jose Siri (finger) have allowed Ramirez to start four of the Rays' last five games.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Knocks grand slam
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs scored in Friday's loss to the Rays.
Ohtani gave the Angels a 5-1 lead with his grand slam in the second inning but it wasn't enough to hold off the Rays. After an eight-game homerless drought, he's gone deep three times in his last five appearances. In 32 games since the All-Star break, Ohtani owns an outstanding 1.149 OPS. His season line is up to .308/.407/.668 with 70 extra-base hits (43 homers) and 89 RBI through 121 games.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Raps out three hits
Rooker went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Orioles.
Rooker was a bright spot for the Athletics in this contest. He's gone 9-for-27 (.333) with three extra-base hits over his last seven games. The outfielder is up to a .246/.332/.466 slash line with 19 home runs, 15 doubles, 50 RBI, 42 runs scored and two stolen bases through 101 contests in his first full major-league season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Scheduled to start Wednesday
Ohtani is scheduled to start Wednesday versus the Reds after having his last start skipped due to fatigue, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The Angels elected to be cautious with their two-way superstar this week, but Ohtani is on track to face the Reds on Aug. 23 in what would be his first start in two weeks. Ohtani hasn't allowed an earned run over his last three starts, although one of them was abbreviated due to a hand cramp.
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Astros' Michael Brantley: Playing second rehab game
Brantley (shoulder) is playing left field in his second rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Brantley started in left in his rehab debut Tuesday against the Triple-A affiliate of the Rangers and went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. He hasn't played in a major-league game since June 26, 2022 because of shoulder trouble, but the 36-year-old is now tracking toward being an option for the Astros by the end of this month. He could even maybe return early next week if he has a productive weekend on the farm.
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Justin Turner 1B | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Sitting out Thursday
Turner is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Turner had started four straight games after returning from a heel injury over the weekend, but he'll sit out this afternoon tilt following Wednesday's night game loss to the Nats. Trevor Story is getting a day at designated hitter while Pablo Reyes plays shortstop.
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Justin Turner 1B | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Limited to DH
Turner will be limited to designated hitter duty while he plays through a bone bruise in his left heel, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Turner, who missed seven of 10 games at the start of August, returned to action four games ago, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora said playing the field is "off the table for a while." Turner will continue to serve as the DH as long as he's otherwise healthy. He's 5-for-16 with two home runs since his return.