MLB Player News

Torrens went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Astros.

Torrens was involved in the Mariners' first four runs of the game. He led off the third by taking the first pitch he saw deep to center field for a solo home run -- the second long ball of his young career. Torrens came back up to the plate the following inning with two men on after back-to-back walks by Zack Greinke and roped a double down the left-field line, scoring both runners and giving the Mariners their first lead of the evening. These were Torrens' first hits since April 15 and his first RBI since April 2. He's struggled mightily swinging that bat, slashing .190/.242/.293 with just four RBI, five runs scored and a 3:15 BB:K.

Solak batted second and went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Solak's recent hot streak has prompted manager Chris Woodward to move him up to the two-hole, regardless of the opposing starter's handedness. "I just want him up there as many times as possible," the manager told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "His at-bats against right and left are just as good." Solak, who belted two home runs Tuesday, is batting .393 (22-for-56) with six homers, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored over the last 15 games.

Soler went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

Soler has been extremely inconsistent so far and was coming off three straight hitless appearances before breaking out here -- the three hits tied a season-high mark for the outfielder, who also ended a streak of four games without an RBI. Soler has had just four multi-hit games this season and is hitting .213 with a .705 OPS across 88 plate appearances in 2021.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Orioles.

All three of Stanton's hits were singles. In the third inning, he scored on Gio Urshela's three-run home run. Stanton also scored on an Aaron Hicks sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. The 31-year-old Stanton is slashing .229/.289/.470 with six home runs, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored across 90 plate appearances. He's gone 10-for-26 (.385) during a six-game hitting streak.

Ford went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Orioles.

Ford opened the scoring with a second-inning solo shot off Orioles starter Dean Kremer. The 28-year-old Ford has seen only limited playing time in 2021 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in five games. He's only collected three hits and three walks in 21 plate appearances -- good for a mediocre .286 on-base percentage.

Stanton could be deployed as an outfielder, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

It's hard to say how seriously the team is considering this, but the motive would obviously be to be able to get players like Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge some starts at designated hitter while keeping Stanton's bat in the lineup. This would be a nice boon for Stanton's fantasy managers, as it would give them more roster flexibility if Stanton were to play enough in the outfield to add that eligibility.

Alvarez was placed on the injured list Wednesday with no injury designation, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He was held out of Wednesday's lineup against the Mariners for what manager Dusty Baker called "health and safety" reasons, so Alvarez presumably was either exposed to someone with COVID-19 or is showing symptoms, although we can't be sure at this juncture. Taylor Jones was recalled in a corresponding move.

Buxton went 5-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles a stolen base and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 10-2 win at Cleveland.

The 27-year-old matched Cleveland's hit total by himself and has now homered in back-to-back contests. Buxton is playing like one of the best players in baseball to open 2021 with a .438/.471/.938 slash line, eight homers, eight doubles, two stolen bases, 14 RBI and 14 runs through 17 games.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said that Alvarez would be held out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners due to health and safety protocols, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston hasn't formally placed Alvarez on the COVID-19 injured list, so the 23-year-old may just be absent from the lineup as a precaution rather than as the result of a positive COVID-19 test or due to close contact with an infected person. Alvarez previously spent a week on the COVID-19 IL earlier this month, missing five games as a result. Baker said that Michael Brantley would handle designated-hitter duties Wednesday with Alvarez out.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a victory over Baltimore on Tuesday.

Stanton accounted for the final run of the contest with a 434-foot shot to center field in the seventh inning. The blast was his sixth this season and upped his RBI total to 15. The slugger leads MLB with a 98.3 mph average exit velocity, though he is batting only .205 thus far.