MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's "confident" Stanton will be available to start in the outfield during the club's two-game set in Miami that begins Tuesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic New York reports.

Stanton has been dealing with hamstring tightness for a little over a week, resulting in the Yankees deploying him exclusively at designated hitter for the club's past 11 games. It sounds like the injury is still affecting Stanton on some level, but the Yankees seem optimistic he'll be able to play the field without major limitations during the interleague matchup.

Martinez went 1-for-2 with a walk, a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Rays.

The steal leaves him one shy of the career-high six he posted in 2014, but it's just the cherry on top of the fantasy sundae he's been serving up in August -- Martinez sports a .404/.493/.860 slash line through 15 games on the month with six homers, 16 runs and 17 RBI. The 30-year-old now leads all of MLB in home runs (38) and RBI (106), and his .333 batting average is second only to teammate Mookie Betts' .346.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a pair of runs in Saturday's victory over the Blue Jays.

Stanton launched his 32nd home run -- and seventh in 12 games -- with a fourth-inning shot off Sean Reid-Foley. He also singled and scored on Miguel Andujar's third-inning double.

Ohtani (elbow) threw 20 fastballs in a light bullpen session Saturday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani hasn't pitched in a game since early June, but he's thrown several bullpen sessions over the last two weeks. He's expected to face live hitting at some point next week as he continues his progress towards a potential return to the mound in September.

Ohtani is out of the lineup Saturday against lefty Martin Perez and the Rangers.

Ohtani is hitting just .169/.269/.237 against lefties this season, so it's hardly surprising to see him beginning to be platooned. A strict platoon would likely protect his batting average while cutting into his counting stats. Albert Pujols will be the designated hitter Saturday, with Jefry Marte starting at first base.

Choi is on the bench for the second straight game against left-hander David Price and the Red Sox.

Over the Rays' last 10 games, Choi has started against all seven righties and sat against all three lefties. C.J. Cron will be the designated hitter in his absence.

Canha is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Canha will sit for the first time in two weeks, as he's hitting just .143 since his last day off. Ramon Laureano will get the start in center field in his place.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI in the 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

The Yankees were held to seven hits and Stanton provided the only RBI against a strong Rays pitching performance. The 6-foot-6 slugger has knocked four doubles over his last three games, giving him 57 extra-base hits and an .880 OPS in 532 plate appearances. However, he did strike out again, giving him a whopping 158 on the season.

Following a 2-for-5 night that included an RBI double and a run against the Yankees on Wednesday, Choi is 6-for-20 (.300) with two doubles, two home runs, three RBI, a walk and three runs over his current five-game hitting streak.

The 27-year-old continues to see fairly regular opportunities while logging the majority of his time at designated hitter. Choi is also generating impactful hits at an impressive clip, with 11 (six doubles, five home runs) of his 23 hits going for extra bases.

Ohtani (elbow) threw another bullpen session Wednesday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani threw at near-max effort while hitters stood in, but didn't swing, for perspective. He's expected to be back in San Diego in time for Wednesday's game, where he'll serve as an option off the bench. Ohtani continues to hit for the Angels, and there's still a chance he could return to the mound before the end of the season.