MLB Player News

Martinez aggravated his sore left thumb during Wednesday's game against the Royals, Michael Silverman and Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Martinez said the injury happened while swinging at a pitch in the fifth inning. He initially jammed the thumb during the series against the Yankees early last month and has been fighting it ever since. "It's gotten better, it goes away and then it comes back. All it takes is one swing," said Martinez, whose thumb and left hand were wrapped up after the game. He plans to continue to play through the pain, which hasn't had too much impact on his production. Martinez has a .985 OPS with six home runs and 24 RBI over 28 games.

Stanton went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Astros.

Incredibly, Stanton's two blasts were the first homers Dallas Keuchel has served up to any Yankees hitter in seven career starts against them. The 28-year-old slugger now has seven home runs and 19 RBI in his first 30 games in pinstripes, and his .240/.316/.479 slash line is creeping closer to expectations.

Harper went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Pirates.

Manager Dave Martinez's decision to move Harper to the leadoff spot has paid immediate dividends, as the slugger went yard for the second straight game and 10th time this year. Wednesday's blast was also his first career leadoff homer, pushing his slash line back up to .268/.464/.598.

Ohtani could make his next start Sunday against the Mariners, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani was originally scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Orioles, but a minor ankle injury prompted the Angels to push his start back. While he's returned to action as the designated hitter, the Angels have yet to confirm when he'll return to the mound. The 23-year-old tossed a light bullpen session Wednesday, and Guardado noted he normally does that four days before his start. That would line him up to start Sunday's series finale in Seattle.

Ohtani will DH and bat fifth against the Orioles on Wednesday.

Ohtani will be utilized in the lineup for the second straight game after going 1-for-4 with a double during Tuesday's contest. Looking ahead, Ohtani is expected to return to the mound this weekend against Seattle.

McCutchen was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion after X-rays came back negative, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCutchen was lifted from Wednesday's contest after getting hit in the elbow by a pitch, but it appears that nothing serious occurred as a result of the incident. Consider him day-to-day for now as he eyes a return to the lineup Friday following the team's off day Thursday.

McCutchen was removed from Wednesday's game against the Padres with an apparent injury.

He was hit on the elbow with a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning. While he was originally able to stay in the game for the next inning, the veteran outfielder was replaced by Gregor Blanco prior to the fourth inning. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Harper will lead off and play right field for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Harper will remain in the top spot after going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk during Tuesday's contest as the leadoff hitter. It remains to be seen whether Harper will continue spending time in this position for the foreseeable future, but either way, the outfielder is a near lock to produce.

Buxton (toe) will travel with the Twins on their upcoming road trip and may return without a rehab assignment, Brandon Warne of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

The Twins will be on the road from May 3-13, so it sounds as though they're hopeful that he could be back somewhere in that time frame. Buxton has already had one rehab stint during his current stay on the disabled list, back when he was recovering from the migraines which initially knocked him out of the lineup. That rehab assignment led to his current issue, a hairline fracture on his toe, which he suffered after fouling a ball off his foot in a rehab game. He remains limited in practice and was unable to run Tuesday.

Cabrera (biceps) is out of the lineup against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera will miss a third straight game due to biceps spasms while John Hicks draws a start at first base in his absence. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's series opener in Kansas City.