MLB Player News

Solak went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in the 6-4 win over the Rays on Thursday.

Solak's home run came off Rich Hill in the second inning. Solak has been the definition of inconsistent to start the season. The 26-year-old has had big games like Thursday, but he also has a 34 percent strikeout rate that recently got him bumped down in the lineup. His 18 strikeouts compared to one walk needs to improve in order for him to hit at the top of the lineup every day.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Blue Jays.

Soler hit a double in the fourth inning and scored on Hunter Dozier's double. This was just the second multi-hit effort for Soler in 11 games this season. He's slashing .171/.310/.286 with a homer, four RBI and four runs scored across 42 plate appearances. Not only has his power stroke not shown up so far, but he's also carrying a career-worst 42.9 percent strikeout rate.

Buxton (hamstring) isn't starting Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Buxton has been dealing with a tight hamstring that also forced him to miss both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against Boston. Jake Cave will start in center field once again Thursday, batting seventh.

Martinez isn't starting Thursday's game against the Twins, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Martinez had a hot start to the season but has gone just 1-for-9 with three walks and three strikeouts in the last three contests. He'll get what appears to be a routine day off Thursday while Franchy Cordero serves as the designated hitter, batting eighth.

Mercedes went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over Cleveland.

Mercedes contributed to a six-run first inning for the White Sox with a three-run blast to left field off Cleveland starter Zach Plesac. The homer was the third of the season for Mercedes and pushed his RBI total to 10. The 28-year-old has been one of baseball's most pleasant surprises thus far in 2021, generating an incredible .500/.548/.816 slash line through 42 plate appearances.

Buxton was out of the lineup for both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox due to hamstring tightness, Darren Wolfson of KSTP 5 News reports.

The injury wasn't initially reported, but it's not a major surprise to discover the 27-year-old is banged up since he didn't start either contest of the twin bill. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but the Twins are likely to remain cautious with Buxton given his injury history. Jake Cave started both ends of the doubleheader in center field for Minnesota and should see increased playing time until Buxton retakes the field.

Buxton is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

This is noteworthy considering Buxton wasn't in the lineup for Game 1 either. Jake Cave is starting in center field and batting ninth.

Manager Scott Servais said Lewis (knee) fielded fly balls and took some live at-bats at the Mariners' alternate site Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Lewis looks to be nearing a full recovery from the bone bruise in his right knee that has sidelined him since late in spring training, but he'll still need to run the bases at 100 percent speed before the Mariners are comfortable with activating him from the 10-day injured list. Servais suggested that Lewis could be ready to return from the IL at some point during the Mariners' upcoming homestand that begins Friday.

Alvarez was placed on the injured list for an unspecified reason Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was one of five Astros who were placed on the injured list Wednesday. While the team hasn't specifically stated that the players have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list, it appears as though the players are currently in MLB's health and safety protocols. It's not yet clear whether Alvarez has tested positive for COVID-19, but he'll be able to return as soon as he's clears the protocols that pertain to his specific situation. Aledmys Diaz could serve as the team's primary designated hitter in Alvarez's absence.

Ohtani threw a 23-pitch bullpen session Wednesday without a bandage covering his blistered right middle finger, but the Angels have yet to determine when he'll make his next start on the mound, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

After throwing a light, 10-pitch bullpen session Monday, Ohtani took a step forward in terms of intensity and volume of pitches Wednesday. The Angels will check back in on Ohtani on Thursday before deciding when to reintegrate him into the rotation, but he won't be an option for this weekend's three-game series versus Minnesota, as the Angels have already penciled in other pitchers to start Friday through Sunday. Ohtani -- who is serving as a designated hitter in Wednesday's series finale with the Royals -- could rejoin the rotation as soon as April 19 versus the Rangers. According to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, manager Joe Maddon said that whenever Ohtani makes his next start on the mound, his pitch count will likely be "dialed back" as a precaution. Maddon also hinted that Ohtani could be piggybacked in that outing by a long reliever.