MLB Player News

General manager Billy Eppler said "there have been no changes in Ohtani's (elbow) diagnosis and neither our physicians nor medical staff have recommended (Tommy John surgery) or said it's likely," Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

It was reported earlier by Pedro Gomez of ESPN that the two-way superstar, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with a Grade 2 UCL sprain, would "probably" need Tommy John surgery to address the partial ligament tear in his right elbow. However, the Angels have since refuted that claim, confirming that they will reevaluate Ohtani in three weeks before determining the next step in his recovery. Surgery is certainly still on the table for the 23-year-old, but the Angels are hoping that Ohtani will be able to avoid the dreaded procedure with non-surgical methods of recovery. If Ohtani were ultimately forced to undergo surgery, he would likely be sidelined until 2020. He could return to the mound after the All-Star break if he avoids surgery, but either way, he's set for an extended absence.

There is concern within the Angels organization that Ohtani (elbow), who is recovering from a Grade 2 sprain of his right UCL, will require Tommy John surgery, Pedro Gomez of ESPN reports.

When the Angels placed Ohtani on the 10-day disabled list Friday, the team announced that the star rookie's status would be re-evaluated in three weeks after he received a stem-cell injection and platelet-rich plasma treatment to address the partial ligament tear. It sounds like the organization will wait until the end of the month to see how Ohtani's elbow responds to the treatment, but Gomez said that those close to the situation believe that surgery is "probably" inevitable. If Ohtani does need to go under the knife, it would spell an end to his 2018 season, and would likely keep him sidelined for the entire 2019 campaign as well. In the event Ohtani avoids a procedure on the elbow, he likely wouldn't be available to pitch until after the All-Star break at the earliest, dimming his outlook in single-season formats.

Buxton (toe) ran the bases Sunday and was able to take some swings with the bat, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It sounds like Buxton's broken left big toe is making some progress, but there's no timetable yet for his return. He will travel with the team on an upcoming road trip, but he'll need a minor-league rehab assignment given his time on the DL (since May 30).

Choi was traded from the Brewers to the Rays on Sunday in exchange for Brad Miller and cash considerations.

Choi had been sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs earlier Sunday, but he'll now head to Triple-A Durham following the trade. He's been shipped back and forth between the minors and the big leagues this season, slashing .233/.281/.500 with two homers and five RBI through 12 games as a Brewer.

Goins is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Royals' willingness to deploy Whit Merrifield in center field and designated hitter of late has opened up more time at the keystone for Goins, who started at the position in both of the past two games. The spike in opportunities isn't quite enough to give Goins much fantasy upside, even in most AL-only formats. He's hitting .237 over 98 plate appearances this season and has yet to record a home run or a stolen base.

Manager Ned Yost reported Soler (toe) is healthy enough to start Sunday against the Athletics but will be given the day off to rest, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

Yost opted to proceed cautiously with Soler as he's dealing with a bruised toe. With an off-day Monday, Soler should be ready to rejoin the lineup Tuesday against the Reds.

Soler (toe) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Soler will hit the bench for the second straight game while he recovers from a bruised right big toe. With the Royals off the schedule Monday, Soler will be given three full days to recover from the issue, so the hope is that he'll be ready to play in Tuesday's contest against the Reds. Soler's absence Sunday will clear the way for Hunter Dozier to pick up another start in right field.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-2 win over the White Sox.

The back issue that kept him on the bench Friday doesn't appear as though it'll be a long-term concern given Martinez's performance upon his return. His 21 homers put the 30-year-old two ahead of Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Jose Ramirez for the big-league lead.

Jimenez (side) is playing left field and batting third for Double-A Birmingham on Saturday, the radio broadcaster for the Birmingham Barons, Curt Bloom, reports.

Jimenez had missed the last two games due to a bruised side after being hit by a pitch, but the issue appears to have been minor, as he was able to return to action within a few days.

Soler (toe) is not in the lineup against Oakland on Saturday, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Soler will receive a day off after exiting Friday's contest with a bruised left big toe. He did undergo X-rays following the game, which came back clean, so consider him day-to-day ahead of Sunday's series finale.