MLB Player News

Astros general manager James Click said he expects Alvarez (hand) to be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Adam Wexler of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

Click noted that Alvarez will hit on the field at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, and if his inflamed right hand responds well to the activity, the slugger could also take part in some defensive drills. Alvarez missed the Astros' final seven games before the All-Star break due to the injury and was forced to withdraw from the Midsummer Classic.

Ohtani said that he won't pitch for the American League in Tuesday's All-Star Game, as he's instead "prioritizing" the regular season and returning to the mound for the Angels' first game of the second half Friday in Atlanta, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Though Ohtani's decision not to put his two-way skills on full display Tuesday isn't an ideal development for Major League Baseball, it's a beneficial one for fantasy managers, who may not have gotten a pitching start from the 28-year-old had he chosen to take the hill for the All-Star Game. Ohtani will still serve as the AL's designated hitter and leadoff man for the exhibition in Los Angeles.

Miller went 0-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners.

Miller returned from a one-game absence due to a neck injury. The 32-year-old outfielder is typically in the lineup against right-handers, but it's been a while since Miller strung together anything resembling a hot stretch. The veteran doesn't have a hit streak longer than three games in 2022, and the last one came May 10 through 12 -- he's batting .188 since. And now with the emergence of Leody Taveras in center field, a chain reaction has Miller and fellow lefty Kole Calhoun sharing left field.

Lewis (concussion) appeared in his 10th rehab game Sunday at Triple-A Tacoma and went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI.

Between stops at Tacoma and High-A Everett for his rehab assignment that began July 3, Lewis has gone 6-for-23 with five home runs and 6:6 BB:K. Lewis served as Tacoma's designated hitter in his most recent two starts, but he manned left field for five innings Friday and could end up seeing most of his time at the corner-outfield spot opposite Jesse Winker if he returns from the 7-day injured list coming out of the All-Star break. The Mariners have primarily leaned on the duo of Sam Haggerty and Dylan Moore in right field since Taylor Trammell (hamstring) joined Lewis on the IL.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in a 9-5 victory against the Brewers on Sunday.

Belt began on the bench Sunday with lefty Aaron Ashby on the mound and entered in the second inning once Ashby had departed. The 34-year-old delivered an RBI-single in the second and tacked on two-run homer in the sixth off bulk pitcher Jason Alexander. Belt has been scorching of late -- batting 10-for-20 with two doubles and two homers over his last six games -- and concludes the first half with a .243/.355/.426 line, eight home runs, 22 runs and 19 RBI in 52 games.

Belt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He'll be on the bench for the second day in a row with Milwaukee bringing another lefty (Aaron Ashby) to the hill for the series finale. Yermin Mercedes will step in at designated hitter for Belt, who has yet to return to first base since suffering a knee injury earlier this month.

Ramirez exited after the first inning of Sunday's game against the Orioles and was diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He'll be re-evaluated in two weeks before potentially being cleared for baseball activities.

Ramirez's absence from the lineup until at least the early part of August is yet another blow to a banged-up Rays roster that already has Wander Franco (wrist), Kevin Kiermaier (hip), Mike Zunino (shoulder) and Manuel Margot (knee) sidelined with long-term injuries. Before exiting after being hit on the hand by a pitch in his lone plate appearance of Sunday's contest, Ramirez had entered the contest with a .329 batting average for the season, the third-best mark in the majors among all players with at least 200 at-bats. Brett Phillips, Christian Bethancourt and Luke Raley are the potential candidates to take on increased roles while Ramirez is out, though it wouldn't be surprising if the Rays looked to the trade market to add a more experienced piece to replace him and some of the other injured hitters on the roster.

The Rangers recalled Solak from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Solak isn't included in the lineup for Sunday's series finale with the Mariners and will likely function as a short-side platoon option off the bench while he's up with Texas. In 75 plate appearances for the Rangers this season, Solak has slashed .209/.293/.313 with a 22.7 percent strikeout rate.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Alvarez (hand) will do some hitting Sunday for the first time since landing on the injured list a week ago, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez's inflamed right hand will prevent him from partaking in All-Star festivities during the upcoming week, so rather than heading to Los Angeles for the Midsummer Classic, the 25-year-old slugger will remain in Houston to receive treatment. Baker said that he's hopeful to have Alvarez available for the Astros' doubleheader with the Yankees on Thursday to open the team's second-half slate, but Alvarez's availability for either contest will hinge on how his hand responds to hitting activities over the next few days.

Miller (neck) is starting at designated hitter and batting eighth in Sunday's series finale versus the Mariners.

Miller was scratched from Saturday's lineup with neck tightness, but he's ready to go Sunday. The 32-year-old has produced just one hit over his last 10 at-bats, but the one hit was a two-run single.