MLB Player News

Buxton is not in Thursday's lineup against the Angels.

Wednesday's game was postponed, but Buxton will still get the off day for which he was slated after starting 11 games in a row. Max Kepler will shift to center field while Marwin Gonzalez starts in right field, hitting third.

Ohtani is not in Thursday's lineup against the Twins.

After Wednesday's game against the Twins was rained out, the Angels are going with the exact same lineup they had planned to use, which includes Ohtani starting on the bench and Mike Trout getting the nod at designated hitter. David Fletcher shifts to left field with Brian Goodwin moving over to center field.

Ozuna went 3-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, five RBI, a walk and two runs in a doubleheader against the Royals on Wednesday.

Ozuna was the most productive Cardinal over the two games combined, with the veteran outfielder driving in the team's only two runs during a blowout loss in the matinee. Ozuna's round tripper in the nightcap was his 14th of the season, and he's hit safely in four straight contests. Moreover, despite his career-low .239 average at present, the 28-year-old's ability to deliver with men on base has led to him sharing the major-league lead in RBI (45) with the Pirates' Josh Bell.

Martinez (back/illness) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Martinez's streak of absences will reach four games after it was revealed Wednesday that he was nursing a sore back in addition to an illness. The Red Sox haven't suggested that either health issue will result in Martinez landing on the 10-day injured list, but his outlook could change if he's still not close to 100 percent when the team begins its series in Houston on Friday. Steve Pearce will enter the lineup Thursday as a de facto replacement for Martinez.

Jimenez went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and three runs scored in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Astros.

Jimenez had been quiet since his return from the injured list, going hitless in seven at-bats before taking Gerrit Cole deep in the second inning. He later put a cap on the night with an eighth-inning blast. This was the second two-homer game for the rookie, who also did it at Yankee Stadium on April 12.

Canha went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in a 7-2 victory against the Indians on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is on a bit of a home-run hitting spree. He has gone deep in back-to-back games and has posted five homers since May 13. Canha is still only batting .224 but with nine extra-base hits in 67 at-bats, he's posted a .567 slugging percentage. Canha also has seven home runs, 14 RBI and 13 runs in 26 games.

Soler went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Soler took Michael Wacha deep in the third inning to record his 11th home run of the season. He's been relatively quiet at the plate of late, recording eight hits in his past 37 at-bats with four extra-base knocks and nine strikeouts. Still, he's shown plenty of pop in the early going, slugging .495 across 201 plate appearances.

Belt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Braves, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt will take a seat Wednesday with the Braves sending southpaw Max Fried to the mound. Belt doesn't regularly sit versus lefties, but it's a good time for an off day since he has a .628 OPS against them this season. Tyler Austin is starting at first base and batting second in his stead.

Martinez, who is sitting for a third straight day Wednesday, is dealing with a sore back in addition to the illness that bothered him early in the week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The back injury takes precedent over the illness, which he is probably over at this point. Abraham notes that Martinez may not play Thursday, in which case his availability for this weekend's series against the Astros could come into question. Christian Vazquez starts at DH on Wednesday.

Ohtani is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Twins.

He was hit on the finger by a pitch Monday, but was back in there Tuesday, and will get a breather in this one. The Angels have an off day Thursday, but Ohtani should be back in the mix this weekend against the Rangers. Mike Trout gets the nod at DH, with David Fletcher getting the start in left field Wednesday.