MLB Player News

Ford is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Ford will get the day off with lefty James Paxton on the bump for Los Angeles. Nick Martini will bat seventh and DH on Friday.

Langford (hamstring) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as Friday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The 22-year-old has been sidelined nearly three weeks by a strained hamstring but is in the latter stages of his rehab program. Assuming Langford is able to get in a couple games this weekend, he could rejoin the Rangers for an upcoming two-game series versus the Diamondbacks, which begins Tuesday.

Martini went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to the Padres.

Martini has started the last two games in right field, replacing Jake Fraley (hand). Prior to Thursday, Martini was stuck in an 0-for-15 drought at the major-league level, though the slump spanned a demotion to Triple-A Louisville. He snapped it with a second-inning single before tying this contest with a two-run blast in the sixth. For the season, Martini is slashing .184/.204/.356 with four homers, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored and no stolen bases across 93 plate appearances. When the Reds are closer to full health, Martini will likely compete for playing time at designated hitter with Mike Ford, who is batting .161 on the year.

Arraez went 4-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Reds.

Arraez has multiple hits in each his last eight games, going 20-for-38 (.526) with three extra-base hits in that span. The infielder played at first base Thursday, swapping places with Jake Cronenworth on the right side of the infield. Arraez is up to a .341/.382/.422 slash line with one home run, 12 RBI, 31 runs scored and three stolen bases over 226 plate appearances. He sees a majority of the playing time at the keystone due to Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) being out indefinitely and should continue to thrive atop the order for a team that has little trouble putting the ball in play.

White Sox GM Chris Getz said Thursday that Jimenez (hamstring) is expected to miss around a month, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a hamstring but no exact timeline for his return was disclosed. After missing two weeks to start April with a similar issue, Jimenez will face a longer absence this time around.

Manager Pedro Grifol didn't have a specific timeline Thursday for Jimenez's (hamstring) return, but the skipper said it would be an extended absence, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Grifol guessed the absence would be a little shorter than that of Luis Robert, who has been sidelined the past seven weeks by a hip issue. Jimenez's injury occurred when he tweaked the hamstring while running the bases during Tuesday's game in Toronto, and he was placed on the injured list a day later after being diagnosed with a strain.

Turner isn't in Toronto's lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Turner will get a breather Thursday after reaching base three times during Wednesday's win over the White Sox. Daniel Vogelbach will fill in as the Jays' DH and bat fifth.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins.

Sanchez has seen a surge in playing time of late, though he's been aided by the Brewers facing three consecutive left-handed starting pitchers. At the very least, Sanchez seems to have carved out a short-side platoon role, with he and top backstop William Contreras starting at either catcher or designated hitter when the Brewers face a southpaw. After Wednesday's two-hit effort, Sanchez is now holding down a .764 OPS over 99 plate appearances on the season, making him one of the more productive No. 2 catchers in baseball.

Arraez went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Reds.

The 27-year-old led off the game with his first homer of the season as he produced his seventh straight multi-hit performance. Arraez has been raking since being traded to the Padres, slashing .391/.425/.478 in 73 plate appearances, and with Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) facing a lengthy absence, he should be locked in as San Diego's everyday second baseman.

Velazquez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Tigers.

Velazquez had sat out the previous two games, suggesting he could be losing some playing time versus right-handed pitchers. He looked solid against Tigers lefty ace Tarik Skubal, taking him deep in the fourth inning. Velazquez is batting a meager .224 (11-for-49) in May, but he's hit two homers and driven in five runs over his last five games. The outfielder is slashing .226/.295/.368 with four homers, 13 RBI, 20 runs scored, one stolen base and seven doubles over 146 plate appearances this season. He's struggled to consistently tap into power as he did with 17 homers over 53 games a year ago, so it's possible Velazquez could continue to lose playing time to Adam Frazier or Freddy Fermin if he can't turn things around.