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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: On bench for series finale
Buxton is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.
Buxton will take a seat for Wednesday's series finale after starting the past 15 games, slashing .278/.328/.481 with nine doubles, seven RBI and four stolen bases during that stretch. Max Kepler will shift to center field in his absence, with Willians Astudillo starting in right field.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Activated ahead of series finale
Choi (personal) was activated from the restricted list Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Choi is back with the Rays ahead of Wednesday's series finale against the Royals after missing Tuesday's contest for personal reasons. The hefty first baseman, who is hitting .286/.387/.444 with a homer and six RBI through 19 games this season, should be available off the bench. Andrew Velazquez was sent to the minors in a corresponding move.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Still away from team
Choi (personal) wasn't activated from the restricted list and will be unavailable for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
A prior report suggested that Choi might rejoin the Rays ahead of the series finale, but the 27-year-old apparently needs additional time to tend to a personal matter. Before leaving the team, Choi had been contending with a calf issue, but that injury isn't believed to be a major concern at this point. The Rays should provide an update on Choi's status before the team kicks off its road trip in Boston this weekend.
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Mike Ford DH | MIN
Yankees' Mike Ford: Launches first career homer
Ford went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Angels.
His fifth-inning blast off Chris Stratton was Ford's first career homer, and first RBI, in the majors. The 26-year-old is slashing only .176/.364/.412 through his first five games, but with the injury-wracked Yankees looking for offense from any source, Ford should continue to get regular chances to produce until someone like Giancarlo Stanton (bicep) comes off the IL.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Won't return in April
Ohtani (elbow) is still expected to take live batting practice this week but he won't be activated before the end of April, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani expressed optimism at the start of April he would be ready to play by the end of the month, but the fact he has yet to face live pitching makes this news relatively unsurprising. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the 24-year-old has also progressed to throwing from 95 feet as part of his throwing program.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Mariners' Daniel Vogelbach: Sits against southpaw
Vogelbach is not starting Tuesday against lefty Nick Margevicius and the Padres.
There isn't room for both Vogelbach and Edwin Encarnacion in the lineup with the series being played in a National League park. Vogelbach could play first base Wednesday with righty Chris Paddack on the mound, but he's been strictly a designated hitter so far this season, so it's possible the Mariners will prefer Encarnacion's defense over Vogelbach's platoon advantage.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Could return Wednesday
Choi (calf) will be back from attending to a personal matter Wednesday but may not be activated from the restricted list right away, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi had also been battling left calf tightness prior to being placed on the restricted list. Brandon Lowe starts at first base in his absence Tuesday against the Royals.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Placed on restricted list
Choi (calf) was placed on the restricted list for unspecified personal reasons Tuesday.
Choi had already been questionable for Tuesday's game after missing the two previous contests with left calf tightness. He's expected to return within a day or two, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Austin Pruitt was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Slugs sixth homer
Soler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rays.
After a brutal 0-for-5, five-strikeout game Sunday. Soler bounced back with his sixth homer of the year. The 27-year-old's .227/.284/.489 slash line likely won't improve substantially until he solves his contact woes -- his 37.9 percent K-rate is more than 10 points worse than last year's performance.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Likely to miss road trip
Stanton (biceps) has continued to make solid progress, although he'll likely need to complete a rehab assignment prior to returning and could be out for another 10 days, SNY reports.
Stanton still hasn't played in the month of April due to a biceps strain, but he's trending in the right direction. "He's swinging the bat, he's having great batting practice sessions," stated general manager Brian Cashman. "He is responding well and feeling stronger." When asked if Stanton is at least 10 days from returning, Cashman responded with "maybe." Though this statement from the team's GM is vague, it sounds unlikely that the slugger will be back with the team before proving his health on a rehab stint. According to SNY, Stanton could be headed to Florida for more rehab later in the week before embarking on a minor-league assignment.