Seattle selected Ford's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

The 30-year-old joins the Mariners after slashing .302/.427/.605 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 56 RBI across 49 games (211 plate appearances) this season at the Triple-A level. Ford could get semi-regular looks at DH, though fantasy expectations should be tempered. He holds a career .201/.301/.387 slash line in the bigs.

Buxton was lifted from Thursday's game against Cleveland after getting hit in the ribs by a pitch, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton had been playing at less than 100 percent due to lingering knee problems, and now Buxton could be facing another injury, this one to his ribs. The team will take a look at him and provide an update on how serious his injury is, but Buxton should be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Brantley (shoulder) hit off a tee Thursday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley began taking dry swings last week, but this was the first time he put bat-to-ball since his setback in early May. The veteran has been out all season while recovering from August 2022 shoulder labrum surgery and there remains no timetable for his 2023 debut, but he at least seems to be on the right track again with his rehab.

The Mariners will call up Ford from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford forced Seattle's hand by exercising the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract Thursday. The 30-year-old journeyman might prove to be a solid addition to the big-league roster, even as a bench bat, seeing as he's delivered a robust .302/.427/.605 slash line with 13 homers and 56 RBI through 49 games this season at Tacoma. As a left-handed hitter, he could power his way into a significant share of the platoon at designated hitter.

Ford has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract with the Mariners, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Seattle will have 48 hours to either promote Ford or grant him his release. Ford has crushed Triple-A pitching with Tacoma this season, posting a 1.031 OPS with 13 home runs over 49 games.

Stanton was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

The slugger wound up being sidelined for about seven weeks with a strained left hamstring. He played only one rehab game, but the Yankees evidently felt that was enough as he returns ahead of the weekend series against the Dodgers. Stanton is expected to play plenty in the outfield eventually, but he'll be limited to designated hitter duties for a couple weeks.

Belt (illness) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Brewers.

Belt is dealing with a stomach bug and will miss a second straight start. Cavan Biggio will handle first base while Vladimir Guerrero slides into the designated hitter spot.

Stanton (hamstring) is headed to Los Angeles to rejoin the Yankees for their series against the Dodgers and could be activated from the injured list Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton has played just one rehab game following a nearly seven-week absence with a strained hamstring, but evidently the Yankees are convinced he's ready. He was in the designated hitter spot for that one rehab contest and the plan for him is to only DH for a couple weeks for the Yanks before eventually playing some in the outfield, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. He's put up an .854 OPS with four homers in 13 games for the Bombers this season.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Wednesday that Jimenez has been bothered by a leg issue, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Jimenez was limited to DH duties in Wednesday afternoon's 12-5 blowout loss to the Angels, but Grifol said he expects the 26-year-old slugger to be able to play the outfield this weekend against the Tigers. Thursday's scheduled team off day should help the cause. Still, it's something to monitor moving forward.

Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 12-5 win over the White Sox.

Ohtani has now hit three homers in his last two games after blasting a pair of two-run shots off Lance Lynn on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Ohtani had been slumping a bit at the plate prior to his recent power surge -- he batted just .148 (8-for-54) over his previous 14 contests. He's now slashing .269/.345/.538 with 15 homers, 38 RBI and seven stolen bases through 243 plate appearances this season.