MLB Player News

Ballesteros is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Left-hander Sean Sullivan will start for the Rockies, so the Cubs will send the left-handed Ballesteros to the bench and swap a righty bat (Matt Shaw) into the lineup. The Cubs have gone out of their way to shield Ballesteros from lefties this season, with the 22-year-old having logged just eight of his 175 plate appearances against same-handed pitching.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

With the Angels sending a lefty starter (Sam Aldegheri) to the hill for the second straight day, the left-handed-hitting Smith will once again head to the bench. LuJames Groover will get the nod at first base in place of Smith.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Ohtani's left knee inflammation is not behind him and will need to be managed moving forward, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Ohtani initially hurt his knee last week and missed one game. He's started at designated hitter for the past four contests and is starting on the mound Wednesday but will not be used on offense. The knee issue does not appear to be a long-term concern for Ohtani, but he could receive extra days off for a bit.

Schwarber went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Marlins.

With Tuesday's solo shot, Schwarber became the first player in the major leagues this season to slug 25 home runs. The All-Star slugger also started at first base, marking just his second appearance at the position this year and his first since 2021 with the Red Sox. Schwarber is batting .249 with 35 extra-base hits, 43 RBI, 46 walks and 44 runs scored across 315 plate appearances in 2026.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani will work only as a pitcher Wednesday against the Rays, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

After supplying the Dodgers' lone run via a solo homer in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Tampa Bay, Ohtani will get a break from his duties as a DH and work solely as Los Angeles' starting pitcher Wednesday. The two-way star gave up a season-high four runs (three earned) during his most recent start against Pittsburgh but still owns an incredible 1.06 ERA and 0.84 WHIP through 67.2 innings on the year.

Ballesteros isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Colorado.

Ballesteros will retreat to the bench Tuesday after going just 2-for-14 across his last five games. His absence will give Seiya Suzuki a start as the Cubs' designated hitter, opening up right field for Matt Shaw.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-3 win over the Angels.

Smith launched a solo home run in the seventh inning off the foul pole in right field to give Arizona a 3-2 lead. It was the first home run he's hit in 357 days. Smith has struggled since coming off the injured list and entered Monday's contest batting .087 (2-for-23) over 11 games since his return. Despite the grind, manager Torey Lovullo still plans to give him opportunities at first base or designated hitter when the Diamondbacks face right-handers.

Suarez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI in Monday's 12-0 win over the Mets.

Suarez wasted no time powering Cincinnati's offense, launching a two-run homer off Tobias Myers in the first inning before adding a grand slam in the second to give the Reds an early lead they would never relinquish. The veteran third baseman did all of his damage in the game's first two frames, finishing with a season-high six RBI and recording his first multi-homer game of the year. Suarez is now batting .222 alongside a .682 OPS with seven home runs, seven doubles, 25 RBI and 16 runs scored across 45 games.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

The Reds will give Lowe a breather after he started six of the team's last seven games while going 6-for-15 with six walks and a run. Spencer Steer will step in for Lowe at first base and will bat cleanup.

Eldridge went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Cubs.

Eldridge drew a walk in the fifth inning and hit an RBI single in the seventh. The 21-year-old has logged at least one hit in 15 of his last 16 games, batting .439 with 16 runs scored, 12 RBI and four home runs in 68 plate appearances during that span. Overall, he's slashing .317/.405/.548 with 18 runs scored, 14 RBI and five long balls across 121 plate appearances this season.