MLB Player News

Martinez went 2-for-3 with two walks, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Monday's 11-2 win over the Rays.

His eighth-inning blast off 2020 teammate Chris Mazza came when the game was well in hand. Martinez has an extra-base in all four games to begin the season and has already racked up two homers and six RBI after managing a disappointing seven home runs and 27 RBI in 54 games last year.

Rooker started in left field and went 1-for-6 in Monday's win over Detroit.

It was curious that Rooker got a start in left field before Kyle Garlick, who initially beat him out for a reserve outfield spot in spring training. It was likely a spot start for Rooker, but there is a chance that he could platoon in left field with Jake Cave when Byron Buxton returns from an illness.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Monday's 7-0 win over Baltimore.

Stanton launched his first home run of the season in exciting fashion, drilling a 471-foot grand slam as part of a five-run fifth for the Yankees. He's now 1-for-12 on the season with four strikeouts.

Ohtani (ankle) will be available to hit off the bench Monday night against the Astros, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani reportedly wanted to be right back in the starting lineup for Monday's contest after suffering an ankle injury Sunday evening, but the Angels will keep him on the bench as a precaution. He could pinch hit for his club if needed, however.

Canha went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs in a loss to the Astros on Sunday.

Canha led off in each installment of the season-opening four-game set versus the Astros, hitting safely in three of those games and reaching safely in all of them. The veteran doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff hitter, but he more than makes up for it with a solid power stroke and a discerning eye at the plate that's led to double-digit walk rates each of the last two seasons.

Buxton (illness) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.

Manager Rocco Baldelli will give Buxton some additional time to recover after the outfielder exited in the third inning of Sunday's win over Milwaukee with a non-COVID-19-related illness. Assuming Buxton isn't dealing with anything more than a minor bug, he should be ready to rejoin the lineup at some point during the three-game series in Detroit. Jake Cave will cover center field in place of Buxton on Monday.

Cabrera (cramps) will serve as the Tigers' designated hitter and bat cleanup Monday against the Twins.

After he experienced cramping in Saturday's 5-2 win over Cleveland, Cabrera was held out of the lineup Sunday in the series finale, though manager A.J. Hinch suggested that the veteran would have likely been held out for maintenance purposes regardless of his health. In any case, Cabrera seems to be fully recovered following the day off, so he'll slot back into his familiar spot in the heart of the Detroit lineup as the Tigers open a three-game set with Minnesota.

Manager Joe Maddon said after Sunday's 7-4 win over the White Sox that Ohtani (ankle) won't start at designated hitter in Monday's series opener versus the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Though Maddon downplayed the severity of the ankle injury Ohtani suffered in his home-plate collision with Jose Abreu on Sunday, the Angels will understandably take some extra precaution with the two-way standout heading into their second series of the season. According to Bollinger, Maddon said that Ohtani will be getting a day off for maintenance purposes more than anything, as the 26-year-old had hit in all four games of the series with Chicago in addition to pitching 4.2 innings (92 pitches) Sunday. Ohtani could still be available as a pinch-hitter Monday, which would seem to suggest that he'll be on track to serve as a DH at some point during the series with Houston. And assuming he makes it through a bullpen session in the next couple of days without incident, Ohtani is lined up to make his second start as a pitcher next Sunday versus the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

Solak batted fifth and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Royals.

Solak began the season as an unlikely cleanup batter but was dropped to fifth Sunday. With Nate Lowe off to a productive start as the fifth-place hitter, he was moved up to offer more protection for Joey Gallo, who walked five times in the first two games.

Ohtani isn't dealing with anything worse than general soreness and was not removed from Sunday's game due to injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani's final play of the game involved Jose Abreu crashing into him at home plate, but he was able to walk off under his own power. He'd thrown 92 pitches and was beginning to lose his control in his final frame, so it's no surprise that he was going to be done for the day even without the collision. He could get the day off Monday to rest even if his reevaluation confirms that he's escaped serious injury, but it doesn't appear as though the Angels are concerned about him missing his next start.