MLB Player News

Choi (ribs) has begun a swinging progression, MLB.com reports.

Choi landed on the injured list two weeks ago with a left rib strain but is starting to ramp things back up. He could be back by mid-September if all goes well and would figure to share first base and designated hitter duties with Garrett Cooper once ready.

Vogelbach went 1-for-1 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday in a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers.

Vogelbach put the Mets on the board in the second inning with a 386-foot solo shot and added a walk in the third. However, with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, manager Buck Showalter pulled Vogelbach in favor of Francisco Alvarez, who grounded into a double play. That move was against a southpaw, so it came as little surprise, as Vogelbach has gone 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts against lefties this year. The slugger has gone deep six times and driven in 13 runs over his past 16 games, so he's not the worst option for fantasy managers looking for power on the waiver wire, though it's a foregone conclusion that he'll rarely play against left-handed hurlers.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI against the Tigers in Wednesday's 6-2 win.

Stanton kicked off the scoring in the contest with a first-inning RBI single and added a 425-foot solo blast in the fourth. The long ball was his sixth in August, though three of them came in a three-game stretch near the start of the month. Overall, Stanton has swatted 20 home runs on the campaign, the 12th time in 14 career seasons he has reached that mark.

Martinez (groin) will embark on a two-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City before likely returning for the Dodgers' upcoming series against Washington, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers' series with the Nationals will run from Sept. 8-10, though it is unclear exactly which game Martinez will be activated for. The veteran slugger landed on the 10-day IL with left groin tightness on Aug. 22 and was slashing .200/.304/.300 across 23 plate appearances in August prior to getting injured.

Torrens signed a minor-league contract Wednesday with the Mariners.

Torrens has reported to Triple-A Tacoma and will serve as organizational depth at catcher down the stretch. The 27-year-old slashed .239/.297/.388 in 181 major-league games for Seattle between 2020-2022. He had brief stints earlier this summer with the Cubs and the Triple-A affiliate of the Nationals.

Soler (hip) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Soler departed Tuesday's loss to Tampa Bay when his hip tightened up on him after a swing. He dealt with a hip issue at times last season as well, though it's not clear whether the injury he picked up Tuesday is related. For now, the slugger is considered day-to-day. Josh Bell is in the designated hitter spot Wednesday with Yuli Gurriel at first base.

Belt (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, but manager John Schneider didn't rule out Belt being available as a pinch hitter, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Given that back troubles are nothing new for Belt, the Blue Jays will most likely stay away from him if they can help it. The 35-year-old is optimistic that he'll be able to avoid the 10-day injured list and return to the lineup in short order, and he should benefit from the Blue Jays having off Thursday before opening a three-game series in Colorado on Friday.

Belt told Hazel Mae of Sportsnet on Wednesday that his back injury is "not going to keep me out for a long time."

Belt had been set to enter mid-game in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals, but he noted that his back locked up on him after he took some swings. The veteran said he's dealt with back problems in the past and thus knows how to manage them. Belt may receive another day off or two to move past the issue, but the 35-year-old seems confident that he'll be able to avoid the injured list.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

The rookie ruined a combined shutout bid for Texas by driving a 100.6-mph Aroldis Chapman fastball the other way to right-center field in the ninth inning. Vientos has started three straight games since recovering from a wrist injury and coming off the IL -- two at third base and one at DH -- but if Brett Baty (.298/.396/.649 at Triple-A since his demotion with a 21.6 percent strikeout rate) rejoins the roster in September, Vientos could lose most of his playing time at the hot corner. Vientos has done little to show he deserves a regular spot in the lineup, slashing .195/.234/.305 over 137 plate appearances in the majors this season with three homers and 11 RBI.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Red Sox.

Alvarez went back-to-back with Alex Bregman in the first inning Tuesday, staking Houston to an early 2-0 lead. The 26-year-old Alvarez has logged multiple hits in each of his last four games -- he's gone 11-for-20 (.550) with two homers and a 1.609 OPS in that span, boosting his slash line to .293/.397/.576 with 23 homers, 77 RBI and 61 runs scored through 373 plate appearances in another impressive campaign.