MLB Player News

Reyes went 2-for-2 with a solo home run Thursday against the Rockies.

Reyes came off the bench in the 11th inning to play right field, though his biggest contribution was his walk-off blast in the 13th inning. He has gotten significant playing time -- Thursday ended his streak of nine consecutive starts -- and he has taken advantage by smacking six home runs in August. He now has 12 total home runs on the season and a .506 slugging percentage through 166 at-bats, leaving little doubt that he has plenty of power upside.

Martinez went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Thursday against the White Sox.

Martinez took Thyago Vieira deep in the ninth inning to record his 39th home run of the season. The long ball pulled him into a tie for the most homers in baseball, deadlocking him with Khris Davis. At this point, he's all but guaranteed to post his second consecutive 40-homer season and he's producing in an elite way in every statistic besides stolen bases.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Tigers.

Stanton recorded his 300th career home run in the third inning as he put the Yankees ahead early. Prior to Thursday's matchup, he'd gone 10 games (38 at-bats) without a homer. Stanton is slashing .277/.351/.525 with an .876 OPS through 133 games this season.

McCutchen is expected to be traded from the Giants to the Yankees in exchange for two minor-league prospects, although the deal has yet to be finalized, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The trade hasn't been made official, but both teams are nearing an agreement. The Giants owe McCutchen around $2.5 million yet this season, so the Yankees would have to be willing to absorb the remainder of his contract.

McCutchen was traded from the Giants to the Yankees on Thursday in exchange for two minor-league prospects, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

McCutchen figures to bolster New York's outfield, as he'll likely draw starts in right field until Aaron Judge (wrist) is healthy enough to return from the disabled list. It's currently unclear who the Yankees had to give up in exchange for the 31-year-old outfielder, but Abigail Avelino is believed to be one of the pieces involved in the deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Ohtani (elbow) will start Sunday against the Astros, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Ohtani has been limited to just hitting after suffering a UCL sprain in early June, but the two-way star has been cleared to make his return to the rotation after checking out OK following a 50-pitch simulated game earlier in the week. The 24-year-old will likely be on a pitch count Sunday as the Angels figure to handle him with extreme caution down the stretch. Prior to suffering the injury, Ohtani compiled a solid 3.10 ERA and 61:20 K:BB across nine starts (49.1 innings).

Reyes is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rockies.

Reyes will head to the bench for a breather after starting nine straight games, slashing an impressive .364/.500/.682 with two homers over that stretch. Travis Jankowski is starting in right field and leading off in this one.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Pederson will take his usual seat on the bench with a left-hander in Robbie Ray starting for the opposition. Chris Taylor will man center field and hit sixth in his stead.

Carpenter (illness) is back in Thursday's lineup at third base for the series finale against Pittsburgh.

Carpenter won't miss any additional time after leaving Wednesday's contest due to nausea in the fourth inning. Dating back to the start of the second half, Carpenter has hit .299/.417/.681 with 15 home runs and 28 RBI. With Jedd Gyorko (groin) on the DL, look for Carpenter to receive a few starts at the hot corner in order to get Matt Adams in the lineup.

Even though Buxton is hitting 18-for-48 (.375) with nine extra-base hits since being activated from the DL at Triple-A Rochester, he may not be called up to the majors when rosters expand in September. "Our focus should exclusively be on what we think is the best for Byron long-term, and that's where it's going to be," Derek Falvey, the Twins' chief baseball officer, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Buxton has had an injury-plagued season that included missing time due to migraines, a broken toe and a wrist injury. He's finally starting to play better at Triple-A and the Twins may want him to finish the season on a run of success. Keeping Buxton in the minors would keep his service time below the threshold where he'd be a free agent after the 2022 season rather than 2021. Falvey said service time was not a consideration for calling him up, however. Buxton could be an impact fantasy player in September due to his speed on the bases, but it's not a given he'll be with the Twins.