MLB Player News

Eldridge went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Cubs.

Eldridge had all but one of the Giants' hits in the contest. His ninth-inning homer kept them from getting shut out, but that was about the only positive for the home team to take from this game. That's now three straight games with a homer and four straight with an extra-base hit for Eldridge. He is batting .425 (17-for-40) in June, and that's after he ended May with a four-hit game. Overall, he's hitting .316 with a .959 OPS, five homers, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored and nine doubles across 29 contests, with his recent surge making it tough to see him coming out of the lineup for anything other than rest any time soon.

Imaging on Ohtani's left knee revealed Friday that he isn't dealing with any structural damage, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will be held out of Friday's contest against the White Sox, but manager Dave Roberts said before the game that the two-way star isn't dealing with anything more than inflammation in his left knee. He's expected to resume duties as the Dodgers' designated hitter sometime this weekend and remains on track to make his next start on the mound Wednesday.

Ohtani (knee) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

The two-way star exited Thursday's matchup with the Pirates due to left knee inflammation and will miss at least one start. Manager Dave Roberts said after Thursday's game that his concern level for the injury was "not high," so Ohtani should continue to be considered day-to-day until the team updates his status.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated Ohtani (knee) has a strong chance to be in the starting lineup Friday against the White Sox, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Ohtani exited Thursday's 8-6 win over the Pirates in the seventh inning with left knee inflammation. Roberts said following the game that his concern level for Ohtani's injury is "not high," and that he feels good about the 31-year-old's chances to play Friday. Ohtani appears to have avoided a major injury, so fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Ohtani left Thursday's contest against the Pirates in the seventh inning due to left knee inflammation, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Ohtani was replaced by Santiago Espinal at the plate in the top of the seventh inning, and the team quickly announced that Ohtani was dealing with a knee issue. The 31-year-old underwent surgery on the left knee in 2019, and it's unclear if Thursday's issue has anything to do with the previous injury. He finished the night having gone 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and two walks. More information on his status will likely be provided in the near future.

Suarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Padres.

Suarez extended the Reds' lead to 4-2 in the eighth inning with his solo shot off Ron Marinaccio, his fifth long ball this year and just his second in his last 24 games. Suarez has gone 3-for-9 with a pair of extra-base hits in his last two contests after going just 3-for-36 (.083) in his previous 10 games. Overall, the veteran is slashing .211/.282/.354 with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored across 163 plate appearances this season.

Smith served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday's 8-0 loss to Miami.

Smith made a fourth consecutive start as the designated hitter and is 2-for-11 with three walks and an RBI during that stretch. As to be expected, all four starts have come against right-handers. The Diamondbacks have used LuJames Groover and Ildemaro Vargas at first base during those contests. Since being activated from the 60-day injured list, Smith is batting .105 (2-for-19).

Eldridge went 1-for-4 with a walk, a grand slam and a second run scored in Wednesday's 11-10 win over the Nationals.

Per Maria Guardado of MLB.com, the 21-year-old slugger's blast put him in the record books as the youngest player in history to hit a walk-off grand slam, breaking a mark that had been held by Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente since 1956. Eldridge has caught fire and bashed his way into an everyday role over the last couple weeks, slashing .426/.500/.766 across his last 13 games with seven doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and 15 runs.

Ohtani took a no-decision Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 6.2 innings. He also went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run.

Remarkably enough, Wednesday marked the first time this season that Ohtani gave up more than two runs in a start. Even so, the two-way phenom has now recorded three consecutive quality starts and has attained this feat in all but one of his 11 outings. Ohtani will carry a sparkling 1.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 73:21 K:BB over 67.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance at home against the Rays. As a hitter, he's now slashing a robust .299/.413/.527 with 12 homers, 39 RBI, six stolen bases and 46 runs scored over 294 plate appearances.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Ryan O'Hearn will get the nod at designated hitter Wednesday after Ozuna filled that spot in the lineup the previous two games while going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts. After signing a one-year, $12 million deal in February, Ozuna has been a major disappointment so far for the Pirates. He's striking out at a career-high 29.1 percent clip and has posted a .580 OPS through 50 games, a bottom-five mark among players who have logged at least 200 plate appearances.