MLB Player News

Buxton went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.

The 29-year-old accounted for all of the Twins' offense, crossing the plate in the fourth inning on a Brad Keller wild pitch before taking Taylor Clarke deep in the seventh. Buxton has been flexing his muscles lately, with four of his six homers on the season coming in his last seven games -- a stretch in which he's also driven in eight runs.

Lewis (undisclosed illness) is taking soft toss in a batting cage, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Lewis has been out of action since April 7 with an undisclosed illness and missed a lot of "baseball time," per Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who added the outfielder is "a little fatigued." Lewis had started four of the first eight games os the season before being placed on the injured list. Pavin Smith was recalled from Triple-A Reno as a roster replacement and has hit well enough to remain in Arizona.

Ramirez was out of the lineup Saturday against the White Sox.

Jose Siri's return has crowded the Rays' lineup, and Ramirez is the early playing time loser by sitting in three of the team's last five games. Particularly alarming for Ramirez is that the team has opted to keep Taylor Walls in the lineup due to his strong defense, which has forced Brandon Lowe to serve as the designated hitter -- one of Ramirez's primary paths to playing time. Even with a 1.033 OPS across 76 plate appearances, Ramirez's role with the club is currently unclear.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double Saturday against the Phillies.

Alvarez returned from a four-game absence caused by a neck injury and hit third while serving as the designated hitter. He was one of the few bright spots in the Astros' lineup as he managed to reach base at least three times for the third time in 21 games this season. Overall, Alvarez is hitting .269/.383/.551 across 94 plate appearances.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Saturday that Brantley (shoulder) will play some first base on his minor-league rehab assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Baker added that Brantley will see action at first base here and there once he returns to the active roster, probably around the second week of May. The rehabbing veteran started in left field in his first three games with Triple-A Sugar Land before taking a turn at designated hitter Friday. He's on his way back from surgery last August to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Saturday versus the Giants.

Nelson Cruz will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth as the Padres take on the Giants and left-hander Sean Manaea at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City. Carpenter has logged only nine plate appearances against lefties this season.

Alvarez (neck) is back in the starting lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and bat third versus the Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler after missing nearly a full week of action because of neck tightness. He returns Saturday to a .900 OPS with six home runs and a whopping 27 RBI through 20 games.

Rooker went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Friday's loss to the Reds.

Rooker has been a much-needed bright spot for this struggling Athletics team. The former Twin is now tied for fifth in the league with his eight long balls and sports an impressive 1.213 OPS through 62 at-bats. The outfielder is already about to pass his career-high of nine homers in a season, which he hit in 2021 for Minnesota.

Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Dodgers on Friday, retroactive to April 25, with lower back tightness, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Martinez was unable to return to the lineup again Friday, and the Dodgers instead will place the veteran designated hitter on the injured list to get him right. Will Smith was activated off the injured list and will be the designated hitter against the Cardinals with Martinez out. It seems likely that the 35-year-old should require a minimal stint on the injured list at this point.

Martinez (back) will try to swing in the batting cage Friday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

If that workout doesn't go well, Martinez might be headed to the injured list. He hasn't appeared in a game for the Dodgers since last Sunday due to discomfort on the left side of his lower back, and he said the flight back from Pittsburgh on Thursday didn't help matters. Will Smith is expected to come off the concussion IL and serve as the designated hitter in Friday night's series opener against the visiting Cardinals.