MLB Player News

Ohtani is serving as the Angels' DH and hitting eighth Tuesday against the Indians.

For the second time since the start of the season, Ohtani will be in the Angels' lineup as a hitter. In his first outing, Ohtani went 1-for-5 and struck out once.

Soler went 0-for-2 with an RBI in the Royals' 1-0 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

With both teams getting quality pitching from their respective staffs and the cold weather in Detroit stifling offensive production, Soler's second-inning sacrifice fly proved to be the difference maker in the matinee affair. Soler is still looking for his first hit of the season and should have plenty of opportunity to get dialed in at the plate with the suspension of Jorge Bonifacio and injuries to Salvador Perez (knee) and Lucas Duda (hamstring) leaving the 26-year-old as one of the top power bats remaining in a weak lineup.

Ohtani will next take the mound Sunday against Oakland.

The Angels are clearly being cautious with their prized young starter. They're attempting to keep him on a similar schedule to that which he was on in Japan, where teams use a six-man rotation and have one day off every week, meaning that starters pitch every seven days. They may end up using the rest of their starters as normally as possible, which would mean J.C. Ramirez could start Saturday on four days' rest and jump Ohtani in the rotation. If Ohtani does remain on a schedule which sees him pitching every Sunday, he might have zero two-start weeks the entire season and will have a ceiling of 27 starts or so.

Vogelbach figures to be the Mariners' primary designated hitter while Nelson Cruz (ankle) is out, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The burly first baseman has yet to get a hit in five regular-season at-bats, but he absolutely raked during spring training. He bashed seven homers and drove in 15 runs in Cactus League play, so he could be a cheap source of power for the next week if he can continue that hot streak. He may not see starts over the next couple games since the Mariners are playing in a National League park, however. Vogelbach's run of regular playing time seems likely to end around April 11 when Cruz is eligible to return to the lineup.

Miller is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller will sit against the left-handed Jordan Montgomery, as he's expected to do against many southpaws this season. C.J. Cron will play first base in his place.

Buxton went 0-for-4 and struck out twice Monday in Minnesota's loss to the Pirates.

Buxton has yet to find his groove at the plate, as he's gone 3-for-15 (.200) with six strikeouts over four games. However, he's been a threat when he's managed to reach base and has collected two stolen bases. After hitting .300 with an .893 OPS after the All-Star break last season, Buxton will have plenty of opportunities to continue improving as the season goes on.

Brantley (ankle) could be activated from the DL for Friday's game against the Royals, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After playing in a minor-league game Tuesday, Brantley's ankle will be reevaluated. If he's in full health, it's possible that he could rejoin the big club for Cleveland's home-opener Friday. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Indians were cautious with Brantley, as the 30-year-old had an injury-filled 2017 season and played in just 90 games.

Martinez is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

With no designated hitter spot available in the Marlins' ballpark, Martinez will head to the bench for the first time all season. He's already picked up a pair of starts in the outfield, so look for him to rejoin the lineup as the team's left fielder for Tuesday's contest.

Martinez started in left field for a second consecutive day and went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Rays.

Martinez, who got his first hit in a Red Sox uniform Saturday, knocked in his first run Sunday. He's off to a slow start, going 3-for-15 over the first four games of the season, something that can be attributed to a late start after signing at the end of February. He talked about his timing being off, so it's important manager Alex Cora get Martinez regular at-bats while handing out rest days to others. We expect to see Martinez in the lineup regularly, whether at designated hitter or left field.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Sunday's loss to the Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader,

The veteran slugger is off to a good start, with five hits in his first 14 at-bats of the season. Four of the hits have gone for extra bases, including his first home run of the season in Sunday's nightcap. Reportedly healthy to begin the year after an injury-marred 2017, Cabrera could be poised for a bounce-back effort, though the 34-year-old is unlikely to get back to the form that made him a regular MVP candidate earlier in his career.