MLB Player News

Vogelbach went 0-for-2 with two walks in a loss to the Athletics on Monday.

It says plenty about what type of night it was when a two-walk tally ranks as one of a team's most productive performances, but Vogelbach's two instances on the basepaths made him one of only three Mariners to reach safely on multiple occasions Monday. The pair of walks also served to at least give Vogelbach and his fantasy managers a bit of a reprieve from the forgettable start to his season, and it followed a Sunday start in which he also plated his first run of the campaign with a single.

Canha went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk, another base on balls, a hit-by-pitch and a run in a win over the Mariners on Monday.

The veteran outfielder was able to plate runs in the fifth and seventh innings, his sixth and seventh RBI of the campaign. Canha also boosted his on-base percentage to a stellar .474 with his busy night, and he's one of the few Athletics to have enjoyed some success at the plate this season.

Contrary to a previous report, Ohtani is day-to-day as a hitter with a Grade 1-2 strain of the flexor pronator mass. He won't begin a throwing progression for at least 4-to-6 weeks.

It's safe to say he won't pitch in regular-season games again this season, but there had been a report from the Los Angeles Times earlier in the day that Ohtani would go forward as the primary designated hitter. He will be with the team for its road trip which starts Tuesday in Seattle, but it sounds like he is questionable for that game.

Ohtani (arm) will continue as the Angels' primary designated hitter going forward, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He is expected to be with the team when it opens a six-game trip in Seattle on Tuesday. Ohtani had an MRI on his right arm after Sunday's brief start in which his fastball dipped from its customary 95-96 mph range to 89 mph in his final pitches. It sounds like the Angels won't be deploying Ohtani as a pitcher anytime soon, but that isn't necessarily the worst development for his 2020 fantasy value, given his ineffectiveness on the mound this year and his upside as a hitter. He has a .281/.345/.528 slash line with 42 home runs and 23 steals in 228 MLB games, but his 32.1 percent strikeout rate and 3.6 percent walk rate in 28 plate appearances this season are career-worst marks.

Stanton has lost about 20 pounds since last season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton's listed weight typically hovers around 245 pounds, so he remains an imposing figure despite the weight loss. The slugger indicated that the decision to become leaner was made in response to his struggle to stay healthy last season. "I had a lot of time to think over last year," Stanton said. "I just wanted to cover all my bases. I tried to figure out what was the best way for me to stay on the field. What's the best way to for me to progress? I thought I'd give this a try and be closer to the weight of my younger years." The drop hasn't affected Stanton from a power perspective -- he has already hit two home runs and two doubles in 25 at-bats after compiling three of each in 59 at-bats last season. Most importantly, Stanton has remained healthy in the early part of the campaign after playing in only 18 games in 2019.

The White Sox optioned Mercedes to their alternate training site Monday.

The White Sox already have three other healthy catchers on the 30-man active roster, so Mercedes was never destined to stick around long in Chicago after receiving a callup Saturday. The 27-year-old backstop is unlikely to see extensive action with the big club in 2020 unless both Yasmani Grandal and James McCann are simultaneously sidelined.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Athletics on Sunday.

Vogelbach's first-inning single plated Dylan Moore to break a scoreless tie and gave the slugger his first RBI of the season. The 27-year-old operated out of the cleanup spot Sunday for the first time in 2020, even as he continues to be in a significant slump. Vogelbach is slashing just .118/.211/.118 across his first 19 plate appearances, with a drop in hard-contact rate from last season's 38.3 percent to 30.8 percent likely having a role to play in his struggles.

Brantley went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Angels.

While many of the big-name Astros hitters have struggled out of the gate, Brantley is absolutely raking. Through nine games, the 33-year-old outfielder is slashing .438/.514/.656 with five extra-base hits and eight runs scored.

Ohtani experienced arm discomfort after Sunday's start and underwent an MRI, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani had another rough start Sunday against the Astros, allowing two runs on no hits and five walks while striking out three over 1.2 innings. He didn't factor into the decision in the team's loss in extra innings. The results of his MRI aren't yet known, and it's unclear whether he'll be forced to miss any time as a result.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Athletics.

Lewis went deep in the eighth inning off Athletics reliever Yusmeiro Petit, cutting the deficit to one run. The homer was Lewis' third of the year. The outfielder has hit safely in all 10 games so far, slashing .425/.477/.650 with nine RBI and seven runs scored. He's also struck out in 17 of his 40 at-bat. Lewis can be boom-or-bust, but he's been mostly boom so far.