MLB Player News

Cabrera went 4-for-8 with a home run, two additional runs and two RBI between both halves of Wednesday's doubleheader win over Cleveland.

The veteran first baseman/designated hitter provided exactly two hits in all three games of the series, and he closed June with eight multi-hit efforts over his final 12 starts. The hot streak has helped Cabrera lift his season average to a more palatable .240, but he doesn't hit for enough power at this stage of his career to make for a desirable fantasy option outside of deeper mixed leagues or AL-only formats. Cabrera's .122 ISO is only six points better than the career-worst mark he posted in 2019.

Mercedes will not start Thursday's game against the Twins.

Mercedes has now been on the bench five times in Chicago's last eight games. Jose Abreu will rest his legs as the designated hitter in his absence.

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Royals.

He got the Red Sox on the board with a three-run blast in the third inning off Mike Minor, giving his squad a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Martinez's production took a step backwards in June, and the veteran slugger slashed .253/.303/.485 with four of his 16 homers on the year.

Ohtani retired only two batters in Wednesday's start against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on two hits and four walks while striking out one. He did not factor in the decision.

Ohtani was clearly off his game in the ugly outing, as he threw only 20 of 41 pitches for strikes and issued four free passes while getting only two outs. He also hit a batter and surrendered two singles. The early exit cost Ohtani the chance to make an impact at the plate, as he was forced out of the lineup after only one at-bat. Remarkably, the seven-run implosion didn't result in a loss for the right-hander, as the Angels posted seven runs in the ninth inning to complete a comeback win. Ohtani's ERA jumped over a run from 2.58 to 3.60 as a result of the poor start, and he now holds a troubling 5.2 BB/9 on the campaign. He's been able to navigate around control issues thanks in part to a 12.4 K/9, and prior to Wednesday he hadn't walked more than two batters in any of his previous four contests. Ohtani will try to bounce back from the rough appearance in his next start, which lines up to come at home versus Boston early next week.

Canha doesn't have any structural damage in his left hip and received PRP injections to both hips Wednesday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 32-year-old had surgery on his left hip back in 2016, so it's good news he's dealing with tendinitis and not any structural problems. Canha will likely take it easy for a few days after receiving the injections, and a return timeline should come into focus once he's cleared to resume workouts.

Ohtani is leading off as the starting pitcher Wednesday against the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will hit again as the starting pitcher, this time as the leadoff hitter. Ohtani blasted two homers in Tuesday's loss and has four total homers across his last three games.

Martinez went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, four RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Martinez could not be fooled at the plate Tuesday as he notched his third four-RBI game of the year. The 33-year-old drove in his first two runs on a single and sacrifice fly and gave the Red Sox the lead for good on a two-run double in the sixth to put them up 7-6. He also walked twice and scored while raising his slash line to .302/.366/.542 with 37 extra-base hits, 51 RBI, 53 runs scored and a 30:73 BB:K over 322 plate appearances. Martinez appears to have returned to his old form in 2021 after struggling at the plate during the shortened season last year.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI during Tuesday's 11-5 loss to the Yankees.

The 26-year-old hit a pair of rockets to right field and now has five long balls in his past five games. Ohtani is slashing .278/.361/.688 and leads the majors with 28 home runs while ranking third with 63 RBI. He'll take the mound Wednesday, and manager Joe Maddon said the right-hander will hit for himself, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, so he should have at least a couple at-bats to do some damage at the plate.

Mercedes is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.

Mercedes doesn't appear to deserve everyday at-bats at the moment, as he's hit just .175/.234/.246 over his last 35 games. Yasmani Grandal will serve as the designated hitter in his absence, with Zack Collins taking over behind the plate.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday in a loss to the Angels.

With the Yankees trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of the contest, Stanton belted a 426-foot solo shot off Jose Suarez to pull New York within a run. The long ball was his 14th of the season but first since June 17. The slugger is slashing .286/.407/.514 with five homers, 14 RBI and a 15:21 BB:K through 22 games this month.