MLB Player News

Andujar (hamstring) is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Reds on Monday.

Andujar tweaked his hamstring during the seventh inning of Sunday's game against the Mets. He'll be out of the lineup for at least one game but could be available to pinch hit for Monday's game, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Gavin Sheets will as the Padres' designated hitter in Andujar's absence.

The Cubs are expected to option Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tommy Birch of tThe Des Moines Register reports.

Alcantara has hardly played during his two-plus weeks in the big leagues and made a major baserunning blunder in Sunday's loss to the Giants. The 23-year-old doesn't have anything left to prove at Iowa, where he's hit .242/.339/.567 with 15 home runs this season. That being said, his opportunities with the Cubs have been few and far between, and he might need a change of scenery at this point.

Melendez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Getting the start in left field while Juan Soto got a partial rest as the DH, Melendez took Yuki Matsui deep in the sixth inning -- his fourth homer of the year, and first against a left-handed pitcher. The 27-year-old also made a spectacular diving catch in the second inning to rob Miguel Andujar of extra bases. Melendez hasn't had a multi-hit performance since May 6, batting just .098 (5-for-51) over his last 25 games with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate, but he remains in a battle for playing time with Mark Vientos, who isn't doing much better at the plate over the last few weeks.

Del Castillo has gone 1-for-3 at the plate while making no starts and being used off the bench in just two of Arizona's last eight games.

After joining the Diamondbacks on April 3 following a brief stint on the injured list to begin the season, Del Castillo had seen fairly steady playing time against right-handed pitching between designated hitter and catcher over the ensuing two months. However, his opportunities to catch began to dry up once Gabriel Moreno coming off the IL on May 1, and Del Castillo's playing time at DH has now dwindled over the past week with Pavin Smith returning from the shelf. With Arizona signing Max Kepler to a one-year deal Sunday, Del Castillo will likely face an even more difficult path to receiving at-bats once Kepler is eligible to join the Diamondbacks on June 25 upon completing his 80-game suspension.

Andujar was removed from Sunday's contest versus the Mets in the seventh inning due to a hamstring injury, Annie Heilbrunn of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Andujar reached on an infield single in the bottom of the seventh frame and was removed for pinch runner Bryce Johnson. After the game, manager Craig Stammen said Andujar "tweaked his hammy a little bit" and characterized the slugger's removal as precautionary. Stammen said the team will evaluate Andujar moving forward, but it's not yet clear if he's slated to miss any time.

Yelich isn't starting Sunday versus Colorado.

Yelich will be out of action for the first time since May 24 with left-hander Kyle Freeland on the bump for the Rockies. William Contreras is handling DH duties for the Brewers, while Gary Sanchez is starting behind the plate.

Suarez is out of the Reds' starting lineup for Sunday's matchup versus St. Louis.

Suarez is batting .094 (3-for-32) with 14 strikeouts over his past nine games, so he'll get a chance to reset Sunday. Spencer Steer is sliding over to first base after starting each of the past three games at the keystone, while Sal Stewart is playing third base following a run of starts at first.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Angels.

Ohtani did his damage in the first inning. He hit a leadoff single and scored on an Andy Pages two-run homer. In his second at-bat of the frame, Ohtani took Brent Suter deep on a 406-foot laser to center field to cap the Dodgers' nine-run inning. Ohtani has gone 17-for-38 (.447) with three homers and six RBI over his last nine contests. He's hitting .300 with a .941 OPS, 11 homers, 35 RBI, 43 runs scored, six stolen bases, 14 doubles and two triples through 63 games. He's currently battling a small blister on his right middle finger, but the issue isn't expected to cost him a start on the mound, and it's clearly not slowing him down at the plate.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Pirates.

Smith entered the game in an 0-for-14 dry spell at the plate in his last six games, but he launched his first homer since May 20 on Saturday. The veteran slugger has now reached base safely in 10 straight appearances as well. Smith has been effective as Atlanta's primary designated hitter in 2026, hitting .309 with 11 extra-base hits, 28 RBI, 23 runs scored and eight walks over 149 plate appearances.

Eldridge went 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Friday's 18-3 win over Chicago.

Eldridge singled in the fourth inning and came around to score before adding another base hit in the sixth and scoring again. The 21-year-old has delivered multi-hit performances in back-to-back games and has recorded at least one hit in eight consecutive contests, batting .500 with 11 runs scored, five doubles, four RBI and a home run across 33 plate appearances during that span. He's slashing .293/.372/.467 with 13 runs scored, six RBI and two long balls in 86 plate appearances this season.