MLB Player News

Ohtani (finger) is in the Angels' lineup Wednesday in San Diego, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani had to be removed from Tuesday's start on the mound because of a blister on his right middle finger, but it won't cost him a start at designated hitter. He is batting third against Seth Lugo and the Padres.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Turner could be used at second base in the coming days as the team looks to jumpstart its offense, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Turner has made four appearances at second base this season, but his last start at the position came all the way back in September of 2015. Given that he's now 38, it would be a stretch to think he could handle the position regularly. It seems as if the Red Sox might be willing to give it a try, though, given how little they've gotten from the keystone from an offensive standpoint. Turner's fantasy managers would certainly welcome him picking up second base eligibility.

Ford went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run and an additional run in a win over the Giants on Tuesday.

Ford has been trending up at the plate for some time, and Tuesday might ultimately qualify as the crescendo in that hot streak. The trio of extra-base hits means Ford has almost as many combined doubles and home runs (nine) as singles (10) across his 74 plate appearances. Ford's slugging percentage is also now up to a career-high .618, the byproduct of a career-best 48.9 percent hard-hit rate per Statcast.

Buxton went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two additional runs scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Royals.

He took Zack Greinke deep in the fifth inning, giving Buxton 15 homers on the year, while his seventh-inning steal was his eighth. The 29-year-old has eight hits in his last six games, including two separate contests with a home run and a stolen base, and while his .216/306/.457 slash line on the season remains disappointing, he's showing signs of turning things around in the second half.

Ohtani was removed from Tuesday's start against the Padres due to a blister on his right middle finger.

The Angels specified Ohtani was removed as the pitcher, so he's still able to serve as the team's designated hitter Tuesday. Ohtani had been dealing with a cracked fingernail on the same finger during his previous start, but he was able to continue hitting between mound appearances. He's not scheduled to make another start until after the All-Star break, so it's possible his playing time as both a hitter and pitcher don't take much of a hit.

Ohtani was pulled from his start Tuesday against the Padres with an apparent injury, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

After Ohtani gave up back-to-back homers to Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth in the sixth inning, Angels trainers came out to take a look at his cracked fingernail -- the same thing that caused Ohtani to leave his previous start June 27. More updates on his status will come shortly, but fantasy managers should consider Ohtani day-to-day in the meantime.

Brantley has been shut down from baseball activities due to continued issues with his surgically repaired right shoulder, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Brantley's recovery had plateaued and now the club has made the decision to shut him down for a while. The 36-year-old had shoulder labrum surgery last August and has experienced numerous setbacks on his road to recovery. His timetable to return is open-ended.

Ford went 2-for-3 with a walk in a win over the Giants on Monday.

While Ford didn't connect for anything more impactful than a single, his performance is noteworthy in that it extends what has been a torrid stretch at the plate for the journeyman. Factoring in Monday's production, the slugger owns a .391 average, 1.114 OPS, two home runs, six RBI, three walks and three runs over his last eight games, a stretch during which he's also produced three multi-hit efforts and a refreshingly modest 19.2 percent strikeout rate.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Brantley's (shoulder) progress has "plateaued somewhat," Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brantley had been ramping up his activities as he works his way back from a setback with his surgically repaired right shoulder, but he's now encountered another bump in the road. Baker didn't go into specifics regarding how significant Brantley's setback might be, but the 36-year-old at least no longer looks like he'll be an option to return from the 60-day injured list coming out of the All-Star break.

Rooker entered Sunday's loss to the White Sox as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning and remained in the game in right field, going 1-for-2 with a two-run home run.

Named to his first All-Star Game earlier in the day, Rooker struck out looking during his official pinch-hit plate appearance before putting some much-needed good wood on the ball and sending a Bryan Shaw cutter 441 feet over the center field fence with Shea Langeliers aboard in the eighth. Rooker had been mired in a 3-for-34 slump over the prior 11 contests coming into the game, but he's now got a modest three-game hitting streak going that also includes his first career triple.