MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

It's his fourth homer of the season, but his first since April 4. Stanton's .205/.301/.438 slash line remains far below expectations, but as he gets more comfortable in pinstripes and the weather warms up, there should be plenty of hits and home runs ahead for the slugger.

Ohtani (blister) will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth Friday against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Thursday's loss, marking his first career multi-strikeout game as a hitter. He saw a heavy dose of changeups from starter Eduardo Rodriguez and struck out twice against the pitch before missing on a 98-mph heater from Joe Kelly in the ninth. Regardless, he will remain in the six hole Friday. Ohtani is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend to test his finger in preparation for his next start on the mound, which is lined up for Tuesday in Houston.

Martinez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the A's, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez was lifted for a pinch runner in the eighth inning of Thursday's game after his second double of the night, but there has been no word of an injury to this point. Hanley Ramirez will serve as the designated hitter in the series opener against righty Kendall Graveman, with Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley and Mookie Betts in the outfield from left to right.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Kansas City, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks during the matinee and will head to the bench for a little rest with two more games on tap this weekend versus the Royals. In his place, Niko Goodrum gets a start at first base.

Manager Paul Molitor said Buxton (migraines) has exhibited "slight improvement" and will try to get out to the ballpark for a light workout in the near future, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton was placed on the disabled list after experiencing some migraine issues earlier in the week. It remains to be seen whether he will return against the Yankees on Wednesday, which is the day he's eligible to come off the DL. In his place, Max Kepler has been filling in at the center field position.

Miller (groin) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Friday's game against Minnesota, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

Miller finished up his two-game rehab assignment with High-A Charlotte on Wednesday and will return to the fold for the final three games of the Rays' homestand. It's expected that Miller will be able to jump right back into the lineup at first or second base, while Daniel Robertson remains at the hot corner with Matt Duffy (hamstring) on the DL. Over nine games in the majors this season, Miller is hitting .222/.300/.370 with one home run and five RBI.

Soler is on the bench for the first half of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

Whit Merrifield will start in right field, with Ryan Goins getting a start at second base. After a bitterly disappointing first year in Kansas City in which he posted a 32 wRC+ and spent much of the year in the minors, Soler seems to be rebounding this season. He has a solid if unspectacular .267/.346/.378 line through his first 13 games, good for a 102 wRC+. Kauffman Stadium may put a dent in his overall numbers, but he's at least suggesting again that he deserves to be a major-league player.

Ohtani's blister is healing as expected and he remains on his usual throwing schedule, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The blister forced him out of his previous start Tuesday against the Red Sox after just two innings. It clearly affected him, as he allowed three runs on four hits and a pair of walks, striking out just one. With extra rest already built into his schedule, it appears that the Angels don't expect him to miss a start. He's expected to take the mound Tuesday in a tough spot at Houston, but the Angels will likely keep a close eye on their prized offseason acquisition as blisters can easily cause a pitcher to miss several starts throughout the season. With Ohtani transitioning to a slightly different ball after coming over from Japan, it's believable that he would be more susceptible to the issue than the average pitcher.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Angels.

It's easy to miss one individual's contributions when a team starts the season at 16-2, tops in MLB, but Martinez is doing his best to stand out. One week ago he was batting .227, but he's put on a show since, going 13-for-24 (.542) with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI over the past six games. Boston's starting pitching has been elite and Mookie Betts is tearing up the league, but Martinez has raised his average 111 points over the past week and is looking comfortable in the middle of the order after a slow start, leading the league in hard contact (65.3 percent).

Jimenez (pectoral) went 0-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored Thursday for Double-A Birmingham.

Jimenez, the White Sox's top-ranked fantasy prospect per RotoWire, had been dealing with a strained left pectoral muscle. He'd been at extended spring training until his regular season started Thursday with the Barons. He's expected to reach Triple-A Charlotte at some point in 2018, with a promotion to the big leagues much later this season a real possibility.