MLB Player News

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 victory versus Seattle.

Ohtani laced a triple in the third inning and added a single in the eighth. Following his final hit, the slugger swiped second base for his 38th theft of the campaign. Ohtani also has 39 home runs through 124 games, so he appears to be a lock for the sixth 40-40 season in MLB history. He has a legitimate shot at MLB's first 50-50 campaign, as he's currently on pace for 50 homers and 48 thefts.

Encarnacion will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Earlier this month, Encarnacion appeared to have taken hold of a full-time role while dabbling between designated hitter and the corner outfield, but he looks to have moved into a short-side platoon role following Grant McCray's promotion from Triple-A Sacramento last Wednesday. Each of the right-handed-hitting Encarnacion's last three starts have come against left-handed pitching, while he's been excluded from the lineup in each of the Giants' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers.

Carpenter hit a two-run home-run as a pinch hitter in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.

Carpenter was activated earlier in the day after a minimum-length stay on the injured list due to a back strain. He's played in just seven games since the All-Star break, going 4-for-10 with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored in those contests. The 38-year-old is expected to remain in a bench role most of the time, while Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to garner most of the at-bats at designated hitter. Carpenter is slashing .261/.336/.414 with four homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 125 plate appearances.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Orioles.

The veteran slugger got hold of a Burch Smith fastball in the eighth inning and drove it over the fence in right-center field, bringing the Mets to within two runs, but it was as close as they got in an eventual 9-5 defeat. Martinez has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 14 homers on the year, but through 17 games in August he's slashing just .211/.318/.439 as the 37-year-old continues to struggle to provide consistent offense.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

Pederson made Miami starter Edward Cabrera pay for a first-inning balk, as he connected on a run-scoring single to put the Diamondbacks on top early. It was the fifth consecutive game with a run driven in for Pederson. He later stole his sixth base of the season, tying the career high he set in 2016.

The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.

Baker has slashed .231/.345/.535 with 32 home runs in 108 games this season at Memphis, which includes a 1.096 OPS versus left-handed pitching. The 27-year-old is blocked by Paul Goldschmidt at first base but figures to see some looks at designated hitter against southpaws.

The Cardinals reinstated Carpenter (back) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

The 38-year-old will end up missing only the 10-day minimum due to a back strain. Carpenter went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts in his lone start of August prior to landing on the shelf, and he's unlikely to see consistent at-bats for the Cardinals down the stretch.

The Nationals optioned Blankenhorn to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Blankenhorn's playing time had been trending downward throughout August, and he'll give up his spot on the 26-man roster to Joey Gallo (hamstring), who was activated from the injured list Tuesday. Blankenhorn posted a meager .317 OPS in 32 plate appearances for the Nationals but is slashing .246/.328/.518 with Rochester.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 9-6 win over the Marlins.

Pederson swatted his 20th home run of the season in the fifth inning, giving him at least one RBI in four consecutive games. The lefty-swinging designated hitter is turning in a strong second half, posting a line of .356/.500/.780 over 23 games since returning from the All-Star break.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Monday's 4-3 win over the Orioles.

Martinez got the Mets on the board in the first inning, plating Mark Vientos with a two-run home run off lefty Trevor Rogers. In 392 plate appearances, Martinez is slashing .256/.343/.438 with 57 RBI and 37 runs. He has only one multi-hit game in his last 12 starts.