MLB Player News

Ortiz has hit safely in seven straight games for Triple-A Rochester, batting .333 (10-for-30) with seven home runs and 20 RBI during that stretch.

The 24-year-old first baseman is decimating the International League to close out May as he turns things around following a sluggish start to the season. At the end of April, Ortiz carried a .231/.375/.352 slash line with just one homer in 27 games. If he keeps swinging a hot bat, he could slug his way into the Nationals' 1B/DH picture over the summer.

Morel could be released if he doesn't begin hitting soon, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Signed to a modest one-year contract this offseason and asked to transition from the outfield to first base, Morel had his campaign put on pause by an Opening Day oblique strain, but the 26-year-old had contributed very little since coming off the IL in late April. Over 63 plate appearances this season, Morel is slashing .169/.222/.220 with zero homers and a 3:23 BB:K. Clearing him off the roster would potentially open up a spot for top prospect Kemp Alderman (wrist), who has been getting work at first base at Triple-A Jacksonville -- although it was a collision at first base while playing defense that led to his current wrist injury. In the meantime, Connor Norby and Liam Hicks will be the primary options at 1B for Miami while Morel tries to find his swing.

Walker isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Walker will take a seat on the bench to begin Thursday's series finale after going 1-for-12 with a three-run homer and an additional run scored over the first three games of the series. His absence will cause Isaac Paredes to shift to first base, giving Braden Shewmake a start at third and Brice Matthews a start at second.

Rice went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in a 7-0 win against the Royals on Wednesday.

Rice opened the scoring with an RBI triple -- his first three-bagger of the season -- in the fourth inning. The slugger added a two-run single in the seventh. With his three RBI, Rice pushed his total to 37 on the campaign, tied for fifth most in the AL. He's added 16 homers, 11 doubles, 40 runs, two steals and an excellent .290/.383/.623 slash line.

An MRI on Schanuel's left ankle revealed tendinitis, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Schanuel's ankle has been bothering him off and on since early April, but it flared up on him recently, leading to a trip to the 10-day injured list. The first baseman isn't sure at this point how long he might be sidelined, but it appears likely to be longer than a minimum absence. Vaughn Grissom is filling in at first base for the Angels while Schanuel recovers.

The Dodgers recalled Ward from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, reports Fabrian Ardaya of The Athletic

Ward will come back up to the major leagues after a brief stint with the big-league club in April. As Teoscar Hernandez heads to the injured list, Ward will replace him on the active roster. The 28-year-old recorded two hits in his first six MLB plate appearances while he was last with the Dodgers last month.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Freeman picked up his fourth multi-hit effort over the last eight games, a span in which he's added three homers, four doubles and six RBI. The first baseman's blast in the first inning ended up being the decisive run in the game. Freeman is now batting .271 with an .830 OPS, seven long balls, 26 RBI, 27 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases over 53 contests this season.

Clemens went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Wednesday's Twins' 15-2 loss against the White Sox.

Clemens smoked a home run to right field off of Brandon Eisert in the eighth inning of the blowout for his fifth long ball of the season. The first baseman made his second career start in center field but isn't likely to gain positional eligibility anytime soon with Byron Buxton, who served as the DH on Wednesday, staying mostly healthy so far this year. The 30-year-old Clemens boosted his slash line to .233/.317/.418 with five steals, five home runs, 15 RBI and 18 runs scored across 166 plate appearances this season.

Torkelson went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Angels.

The slugging first baseman collected a trio of hits for the second time this season in what was just his seventh multi-hit game of the campaign. Torkelson has hit safely in six of his last eight outings, improving his season slash line to .210/.318/.409 to go along with eight homers, 12 doubles, 21 RBI and 18 runs scored across 211 plate appearances.

Murakami went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's win against the Twins.

Murakami has now homered in three straight games, with Wednesday's round-tripper a seventh-inning blast to left center off Travis Adams. It marked Murakami's eighth home run of the month and tied him for the American League lead with 20 on the season. The 26-year old is now slashing .240/.375/.561 with 40 RBI and 42 runs scored, but he also has 78 strikeouts in 240 plate appearances. The MLB rookie also picked up his first career stolen base earlier in the game.