MLB Player News

Brantley is out of the lineup against Toronto on Friday.

Brantley will retreat to the bench after starting the past three days, going 4-for-10 with a double and two RBI during those contests. The 30-year-old will continue to receive scheduled off days every now and then in order to keep him fresh. In his place, Rajai Davis will get the nod in left field while batting ninth.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a three-run triple and a walk, helping the Angels to a 7-1 victory over the Royals on Thursday.

It's nothing short of unbelievable what the rookie phenom has been doing and whether or not he can continue to put up such elite numbers as both a hitter and on the mound has quickly become easily the most intriguing story in baseball. It's also hard to overstate what it would mean for his fantasy value should he continue to perform both roles so well while only taking up one roster spot. If there's anything diminishing that, it's that he's given off days on either side of his pitching starts, limiting his opportunity to log as many at-bats as a normal everyday player. He told reporters after the Angels' game on Wednesday, however, that he would like to play more as the season progresses, so if the coaching staff eventually obliges he could end up with even more chances to hit.

Miller (groin) will be reevaluated Friday to determine when he can resume baseball activities, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller went on the 10-day disabled list last Sunday, the same day he suffered a groin strain against the Red Sox. Manager Kevin Cash is already on record as stating that he doesn't expect the infielder's DL stint to last beyond the minimum timeframe, and Friday's evaluation should shed further light on whether that prognosis is on track.

Ohtani will once again serve as the Angels' designated hitter for Thursday's series opener in Kansas City, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will DH for the second straight day after going 1-for-4 with an RBI on Wednesday. Since he isn't scheduled to take the mound again until Sunday, Ohtani may be back in the lineup for Friday's contest as well. Over 24 plate appearances, he's tallied eight hits, three home runs and eight RBI this season.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 10-7 loss to the Yankees.

It's his second homer of the season, and while Martinez's batting average is still a sluggish .250 (10-for-40) he has driven in 10 runs in 10 games. The 30-year-old is locked into the cleanup spot in one of MLB's better offenses, and Martinez should continue to produce big numbers as long as he can stay healthy.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-7 win over the Red Sox.

That's now back-to-back multi-hit performances for Stanton, and while he's had some trouble making consistent contact in the early going, he does still have three homers and 10 RBI through 12 games. Expect his .235 batting average to continue rising now that Stanton appears to be settling in to his new environment and new uniform.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup against Kansas City on Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com reports.

Vogelbach will retreat to the bench for the series finale while Taylor Motter draws the assignment at first and Andrew Romine picks up a start in the infield. Over seven appearances thus far in 2018, Vogelbach has gone 5-for-21 with two RBI and eight strikeouts.

Ohtani will serve as the Angels' designated hitter against the Rangers on Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani was not in the Angels' lineup Tuesday as they faced left-hander Martin Perez -- although he did ground out in a pinch hit appearance -- but will return as the designated hitter for Wednesday's matchup against left-hander Matt Moore. The 23-year-old will next take the mound Sunday against the Royals, which will allow him to potentially be in the lineup for the first three games of the series in Kansas City as well.

Ohtani's next start on the mound will come Sunday against the Royals, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Both of Ohtani's previous two turns have fallen on Sundays, with his last outing representing arguably the top performance by a pitcher this season. Ohtani carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of the Angels' victory over the Athletics, striking out 12 batters along the way. The rookie will draw a favorable matchup in his upcoming appearance, as the Royals rank 29th in the league in runs scored with 26 over eight games.

Ohtani has been battling blisters since the spring but doesn't consider them to be an issue, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani's 2.08 ERA and 18:2 K:BB back up the idea that his blisters are currently a non-issue. Reports of blisters are always potentially worrisome, though, as they can often linger and derail large portions of seasons for pitchers. Rich Hill, Johnny Cueto and Aaron Sanchez all notably battled blisters last season and either missed time or saw their performance decline. For now, there's little reason to worry about Ohtani, and the team is sure to be very careful with their young superstar.