MLB Player News
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Hits first homer of season
Harper went 1-for-5 with a home run and a strikeout in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Nationals.
Harper has endured a slow start to the season with only three hits on 27 plate appearances, but this was the first time he went yard, so this might be the spark he needed to turn things around after a dismal start to the campaign. Harper should start to deliver better numbers as he gets into a groove offensively. It's just too early to make too much of the fact that he's hitting .120 with a .425 OPS after his first six games of the season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Next start scheduled April 8
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday that Ohtani is scheduled to make his next start in the team's series finale against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, April 8, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
The Dodgers plan on deploying a six-man rotation during the upcoming six-game road trip by mixing in a start for southpaw Justin Wrobleski, which means the next time Ohtani takes the mound will be during next week's World Series rematch. Ohtani dominated in his pitching debut against the Guardians on Tuesday, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out six across six scoreless innings to earn the win. Per Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com, Ohtani holds the longest regular-season scoreless streak among active pitchers at 22.2 innings, dating back to the 2025 campaign.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Smooth in season pitching debut
Ohtani (1-0) completed six scoreless innings in a win against Cleveland on Tuesday, allowing one hit and issuing three walks while striking out six batters. He also went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks as a batter.
The Dodgers opted to have Ohtani be the last of the team's five pitchers in the season-opening rotation to make a start, but he looked every bit an ace against the Guardians. The two-way star retired the first seven batters he faced and yielded just one hit (a Rhys Hoskins double) overall. Ohtani did put some additional runners on base with three walks and a hit-by-pitch, but he threw 54 of 87 pitches for strikes, so his control wasn't particularly shaky. In addition to the strong outing on the mound, he reached base three times, extending his regular-season on-base streak to 36 games dating back to last year. That's the longest active streak in the majors, as is his current regular-season 22.2-inning scoreless streak as a pitcher, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. He hasn't hit a home run or stolen a base yet, but Ohtani continues to show why he's arguably baseball's -- and fantasy's -- most unique player.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Receiving breather Sunday
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
The veteran slugger will receive the afternoon off after he started the Pirates' first two games of the season and went 1-for-9 with a walk. With Ozuna on the bench, Bryan Reynolds will cede left field to Jake Mangum and shift to designated hitter.
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Christopher Morel DH | MIA
Marlins' Christopher Morel: Hits IL with oblique strain
The Marlins placed Morel on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain.
Morel was in line to begin the regular season as Miami's primary first baseman, but an oblique issue caused him to be a late scratch from Friday's lineup, and manager Clayton McCullough said Saturday that Morel's injury will force him to miss roughly 4-to-6 weeks, per Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com. Deyvison De Los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move and figures to be in the mix at first base with Connor Norby until Morel returns.
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Christopher Morel DH | MIA
Marlins' Christopher Morel: Scratched with oblique strain
Morel was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies due to a left oblique strain, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Morel is set to undergo further evaluation, after which the Marlins will have more information regarding his status. In the meantime, Connor Norby will fill in as Miami's first baseman while Owen Caissie enters the lineup as the designated hitter.
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mets' Luis Torrens: Set as No. 2 catcher
Torrens has claimed a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The 29-year-old gives New York a reliable option behind Francisco Alvarez, who has had some trouble staying healthy so far in his MLB career. Torrens slashed .226/.284/.345 in 283 plate appearances last season with five homers and 29 RBI.
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Mark Vientos DH | NYM
Mets' Mark Vientos: Absent from Opening Day lineup
Vientos is not in the lineup for Thursday's opener versus the Pirates.
With right-hander Paul Skenes on the bump for the Pirates, the Mets will go with Jorge Polanco at first base and the left-handed-hitting Brett Baty at designated hitter. The right-handed-hitting Vientos is unlikely to be a strict short-side platoon bat, but he could sit regularly against tougher righties.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Posts 11 punchouts in final tuneup
Ohtani completed four innings in an exhibition start against the Angels on Tuesday, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters. He also went 1-for-2 as a hitter.
Ohtani looked dominant for most of the outing, racking up 17 whiffs among his 86 pitches and getting 11 of his 12 outs via strikeout. The only negative about his punchout spree is that it drove up his pitch count -- per Jack Harris of the California Post, the Dodgers intended for the two-way star to get into the sixth inning, but he ended up completing only four frames. Ohtani may have run out of steam a bit in the fifth, as he gave up three straight hits -- all of which were singles -- before being lifted, and all three runners eventually came around to score. Regardless, Ohtani showcased his overpowering arsenal in the outing, and it's a great sign for his readiness as a pitcher for the start of the season that he was able to approach 90 pitches. He's slated to make his first start as a pitcher Tuesday against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium.
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Mark Vientos DH | NYM
Mets' Mark Vientos: Connects for first spring homer
Vientos went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's split-squad game against the Nationals.
Getting the start at first base and batting second, Vientos took Gus Varland deep in the eighth inning for his first long ball of the spring, but he also struck out against PJ Poulin in the sixth. Vientos appears to have a spot on the Opening Day bench locked up, but with only two hits in 35 at-bats during Grapefruit League action (.057 batting average) and a 1:7 BB:K, the 26-year-old appears to be a long way from regular playing time.