MLB Player News

Choi is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Royals, the Los Angeles Times' Pedro Moura reports.

He has been playing pretty regularly with C.J. Cron (hand) sidelined, but will make way for Jefry Marte at first base Wednesday. Choi's .175 average can be largely attributed to a .188 BABIP, but he has not provided the power (two home runs in 72 plate appearances) to make it worth being patient with him in most formats.

Buxton is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Braves.

It's hard to understand why the Twins insist on giving Buxton a day or two off each week, especially when Robbie Grossman, Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana are the three players starting over him in the outfield. He has 14 strikeouts in his last 28 at-bats, so that obviously has something to do with it, but so far unpredictable playing time has not helped him improve on his contact issues.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a home run in Wednesday's 11-1 victory over the Phillies.

The surging outfielder's two-run homer traveled 430 feet in the first inning, giving Stanton 22 bombs and 59 RBI on the season. After a horrendous start to his 2016 campaign, Stanton has righted the ship and is back on pace to hit 35-plus longballs and challenge 100 RBI. Stanton was hitting a pathetic .193 as of June 15, but has since raised his average more than 50 points while ripping off nine home runs and 28 RBI during the resurgence.

Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for the Rockies on Wednesday.

Blackmon has struggled at the plate over his last 10 games, hitting only .244 with one RBI and 14 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. Blackmon should be back in the lineup on Thursday as the Rockies host Jacob deGrom and the Mets. The outfielder has no hits in eight career at-bats against deGrom.

Belt went 1-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Tuesday's 9-7 win over Cincinnati.

Belt has responded well to being moved down to sixth in the order, homering Monday and reaching base four times Tuesday. He appears to be breaking out of the eight-game slump in which he went 2-for-33. He will likely stick in the six-hole so long as the Giants continue to put up runs like they have over their last two contests.

Dickerson went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in the Padres' 7-6, 12-inning loss at the hands of the Blue Jays.

Tuesday's sixth inning blast makes it three straight days with a homer for Dickerson, who seems determined to hold onto regular playing time following the departure of Melvin Upton Jr. This recent three-game tear raised Dickerson's batting line to .288/.329/.550, although he has just 80 at-bats on the season. Even after the Melvin Upton Jr, the Padres organization still overstocked with outfield talent, with Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe tearing up the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Still, it would be hard to imagine Dickerson losing playing time if he continues anything close to his recent pace at the plate.

Cabrera homered, walk, knocked in two runs and scored twice in a 2-for-4 game in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

Cabrera is on a roll, with four multi-hit games in his last seven, now including two homers, two doubles and six walks in that span. The home run was his 20th, giving him 12 seasons with at least 20 homers in his illustrious career. Still, his power output hasn't quite been up to his career standards -- his .512 slugging percentage would be his worst since his first full season back in 2004 with the Marlins at age 21.

Martinez will serve as the designated hitter in his first two games with Triple-A Toledo, but could return to the outfield as early as Friday, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.

While starting as a designated hitter seemed to signal his elbow wasn't ready to play the outfield, it appears the issue won't keep him off the field much longer. When healthy, he should retake his everyday role in right field, but Martinez may require a lengthier rehab before his return to the majors.

Brantley (shoulder) remains without a timetable to return but says he is "very confident" he will return and have an impact this season, Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle Telegram reports.

Brantley had surgery last week to remove scar tissue from the shoulder that's nagged him all season and while he's yet to resume baseball activities, he's optimistic about returning this season. The 29-year-old will likely begin jogging and light-arm exercises in the coming weeks but could be held out all of August as he works his way back to full strength.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with Philadelphia, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna will get his first maintenance day in eight games as Ichiro Suzuki takes his place in center and bats leadoff. Ozuna has gone 7-for-38 (.184) with no homers in 10 games since the start of the second half. He'll likely be back out there when the Phillies send Zach Eflin to the mound in the series finale.