MLB Player News

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Ortiz finds himself on the bench for the fourth game in a row, a surprising development considering that he's maintaining an excellent .388 on-base percentage and .827 OPS through 80 plate appearances on the season. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ortiz's benching isn't disciplinary in nature or due to any dissatisfaction of his performance. Instead, manager Pat Murphy expressed a desire to take a longer look at rookie Oliver Dunn, who hadn't gotten to play much over the past few weeks once Ortiz emerged as the superior option at third base. Dunn will start his fourth straight game Sunday, and Murphy said the Brewers are using the run of extended action to evaluate whether it's worthwhile to keep Dunn in a utility role with the big club or to have him play more frequently in the minors.

Fermin was hit by a pitch in his lone plate appearance and stole a base in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss.

Fermin has received minimal playing time since his April 24 call-up from Triple-A Memphis. He's 1-for-3 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch over five contests, and the steal was his first of the season. Fermin provides cover around the infield, but he's yet to really push Nolan Gorman at second base or Masyn Winn at shortstop for more playing time.

De Los Santos was named the Texas League Player of the Month for April after leading the circuit with 32 hits, seven home runs and 58 total bases for Double-Amarillo, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

De Los Santos spent the spring with the Guardians, who selected him in the Rule 5 draft, but he did not make Cleveland's roster. The 20-year-old native of the Dominican Republic picked up at Amarillo where he left off in 2023. De Los Santos was added to the development list in 2023 following a rough start, but he crushed Double-A pitching in the second half of the season, posting a .322/.340/.596 slash line after July 14. The power-hitting prospect made strides at the plate while with the Guardians, developing a more "major league approach," according to Amarillo manager Tim Bogar, who feels the experience in a major-league spring training camp was helpful. To become a well-rounded prospect, De Los Santos needs to work on his defense. He's played both third and first base since being signed as a 16-year-old, but the organization plans to limit him to first base only going forward.

Muncy went 4-for-5 with three home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-2 win over Atlanta.

The three home runs were a single-game career high for Muncy, who had blasted just five long balls through his first 30 contests of the campaign prior to Saturday. Muncy's slugging percentage rose exactly 100 points as a result of the huge game and now sits at .551 for the season, which is on pace for the best mark of his career since his first year with the Dodgers in 2018.

Arenado went 3-for-3 with two walks and a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the White Sox.

The veteran third baseman took Erick Fedde deep in the fifth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead, but it didn't hold up. Arenado has recorded multiple hits in three of the last five games, and the surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .296/.362/.408 with two homers, 14 runs and 19 RBI through 33 contests.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Bohm (hip) will be reevaluated Sunday and expects the third baseman to be in the lineup versus the Giants, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Bohm was removed from Saturday's game versus the Giants with right hip flexor tightness, but his exit was considered precautionary and it sounds like he should be fine. The third baseman singled, was hit by a pitch and scored two runs before being lifted from Saturday's tilt.

Bohm departed Saturday's game versus the Giants after the third inning due to right hip tightness, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirery reports.

The Phillies are saying Bohm's removal was precautionary, and it's worth noting they were leading 9-1 at the time and the conditions at Citizens Bank Park were poor following a rain delay. It sounds like it's safe to call Bohm day-to-day, but the team could offer more clarity after the contest.

The Padres optioned Pauley to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Pauley will be squeezed off the major-league roster following the acquisition of Luis Arraez from Miami. Pauley has been fantastic in the minors but struggled to get going upon joining the Padres, slashing .125/.125/313 across 32 plate appearances. The 23-year-old infielder may still return to the big leagues later this season as a bench piece, but San Diego's loaded infield unit will make it hard for him to contribute on a regular basis.

The Marlins recalled Bride from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday.

Bride played in five games for the Marlins at the beginning of the season, going 1-for-7 with a walk over that span. He was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on April 4, and he has been tearing it up in the minors with a .349 batting average and 1.180 OPS over 110 plate appearances. To make room for Bride, Miami optioned right-hander Woo-suk Go to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Sosa is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in Saturday's game against the Giants.

Sosa appears set to take over as the primary shortstop with Trea Turner landing on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Sosa has appeared in nine games this season and is 6-for-21 with two runs, one double, one home run and two RBI over that span.