MLB Player News

Manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Alvarez (knee) could resume baseball activities Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The skipper didn't specify what exactly Alvarez will be doing, but the fact Alvarez is nearing a return to activity is a good sign that his sprained knee is trending in the right direction. Once the 27-year-old slugger is able to test out his knee, the team may have a better idea of whether he'll be ready for the start of the AL Wild Card Series.

Yoshida isn't in the Red Sox's lineup for Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.

Yoshida went 1-for-11 while starting each of Boston's last three games, and he'll get a chance to catch his breath Saturday. Mickey Gasper will work as Boston's DH and bat fifth.

McCutchen isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup Saturday versus the Yankees.

McCutchen is 0-for-11 with four strikeouts over his last three games, and he'll now get a chance to rest while Bryan Reynolds serves as the Pirates' DH and Billy Cook starts in left field.

Ohtani went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, four RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 11-4 win over the Rockies.

While he took full advantage of a game at Coors Field with his bat, it was Ohtani's second-inning steal that allowed him to claim another record. With 57 pilfers on the season, Ohtani became the new single-season leader among Japanese-born players, topping the 56 steals recorded by future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki in his 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP campaign. The rest of Ohtani's numbers aren't too shabby either -- with two games left on the Dodgers' regular-season schedule, he's slashing .309/.390/.651 with 54 homers, 130 RBI and 133 runs. Luis Arraez's .314 batting average is all that's standing between Ohtani and a Triple Crown season.

Encarnacion went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Encarnacion went yard in the second inning to put the Giants up 2-1. The outfielder has struggled to claim consistent playing time since joining the major-league roster at the start of August. He's hitting .255 (12-for-47) with three homers and 11 RBI over 14 contests in September while filling a part-time role. For the season, Encarnacion has a .257/.288/.448 slash line, five homers, 19 RBI, 13 runs scored and one stolen base over 111 plate appearances.

Garver went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Athletics.

Garver's second-inning homer was all the run support Bryan Woo needed. Garver is up to 15 homers this year, including three over his last seven games. The 33-year-old has mostly had a disappointing season for the Mariners, posting a .172/.286/.341 slash line with 51 RBI, 37 runs scored and 17 doubles across 113 contests.

The Twins optioned Camargo to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Camargo was brought up to the big-league club Thursday as a tertiary catching option, but he'll return to Triple-A on Friday. Reliever Kody Funderburk was activated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Stanton is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

He's one of a handful of regulars getting a breather after the Yankees clinched their 21st AL East title Thursday. Juan Soto is getting a start in the designated hitter slot in Stanton's place, while Alex Verdugo occupies right field.

The Twins recalled Camargo from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

Camargo will give the Twins a third catcher down the stretch. He might not see any action this weekend but his presence allows the club to use Ryan Jeffers at designated hitter, if needed.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a three-run double and two total runs scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.

Stanton has gone 6-for-19 with two homers and eight RBI over his last five games. He opened the scoring in the second inning with his homer before adding a bases-clearing double as part of a six-run rally in the sixth. This is the first year since 2018 that Stanton has collected 20 each of homers (27) and doubles (20), doing so in 112 contests. He's added a .235/.300/.481 slash line, 72 RBI and 49 runs scored while serving as the Yankees' designated hitter.