MLB Player News

Martinez (back) won't play every day to begin his tenure with the Mets, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

"We're not going to DH him every day," manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday. "He's going to need some days [off]. I'll sit down with him to put together a game plan because he's important. He's too valuable for this team, and we've got to take care of him." Martinez is expected to make his debut for the Mets on Friday and hit fifth behind Pete Alonso, but the 36-year-old's workload for the first week or two could be a bit less than what patient fantasy investors were hoping for.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

He'll take a seat while the Padres and Rockies wrap up their series with a day game after a night game. With Blackmon on the bench along with Nolan Jones (back), Jake Cave and Hunter Goodman will occupy the corner outfield spots, and catcher Elias Diaz will get a day off behind the plate and will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter.

Machado (personal) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Since Machado has already spent the maximum three days on the paternity list, he needs to be activated Thursday, but the Padres have yet to officially announce the move. Even if the Padres add Machado back to the 26-man roster Thursday, he'll still be available only as a bench player before likely making his return to the lineup against the Phillies this weekend, when the team returns to San Diego. Jurickson Profar will serve as the Friars' designated hitter Thursday.

Mervis is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Following his promotion from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Mervis served as the Cubs' designated hitter in both of the ensuing two games, going 0-for-6 with three strikeouts between those contests. Though he'll retreat to the bench Thursday, the lefty-hitting Mervis will likely see the bulk of the starts at DH against right-handed pitching until the Cubs get Seiya Suzuki (oblique) back from the 10-day injured list.

McCutchen is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Brewers.

McCutchen has gone deep in back-to-back contests, but he'll receive a day of rest Wednesday. Bryan Reynolds will get a turn as the Pirates' designated hitter, while Connor Joe and Edward Olivares will occupy the outfield corners.

Martinez (back) is on track to be added to the Mets' 26-man active roster ahead of Friday's game versus the Cardinals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Martinez is slated to play what is expected to be a final game with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. As long as he comes out of it with no issues, he should serve as the Mets' designated hitter Friday. Martinez went to the minors to knock off some rust after signing with the Mets late in spring training and had to take a break from game action briefly due to a minor back problem, but he's healthy now and is nearing his 2024 debut with the big club. According to a Mike Puma of the New York Post, manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that he plans to slot Martinez directly behind cleanup batter Pete Alonso as the Mets' No. 5 hitter once he's activated.

Stewart is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Southpaw Blake Snell is on the hill for the Giants, so the left-handed-hitting Stewart will begin Wednesday's game on the bench. Starling Marte will serve as the Mets' designated hitter in Stewart's stead, and with J.D. Martinez potentially set to report to the big club this weekend, Stewart's time as New York's primary DH may have already come to an end.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Washington.

Ohtani capped the scoring in the contest with a 450-foot solo blast to right-center field. Per MLB.com, the homer was hit at 118.7 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball in the majors so far this season. It also extended Ohtani's hitting streak to eight games, during which he is slashing .414/.514/.655 with two long balls, four RBI, seven runs, three steals and a 6:6 BB:K.

Burleson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While his path to regular playing time against right-handed pitching has opened up a bit with Jordan Walker getting optioned to Triple-A Memphis earlier Wednesday, the lefty-hitting Burleson is still projected to sit regularly against lefties. Burleson's absence from the lineup Wednesday thus comes as little surprise with southpaw Jordan Montgomery on the hill for Arizona.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.

Sanchez was responsible for the Brewers' lone run Tuesday with a 432-foot blast off Bailey Falter to lead off the eighth inning. It's the second long ball of the year for Sanchez -- the 31-year-old backstop has primarily served as a bench option in the early going, backing up William Contreras with Rhys Hoskins serving as Milwaukee's primary DH. Sanchez is slashing just .167/.211/.361 with three RBI and two runs scored through his first 38 plate appearances.