MLB Player News

The Cardinals designated Pozo for assignment Friday.

The Cardinals selected Scott Blewett from Triple-A Memphis on Friday to fill a bullpen spot while JoJo Romero (appendicitis) is on the IL, leaving Pozo as the odd man out. The 29-year-old backstop has gone 8-for-33 in the big leagues this season and owns a .642 OPS through 86 plate appearances in the minors.

Ohtani (knee) is expected to make his first start of the second half Wednesday against the Phillies, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Knee irritation kept Ohtani from making his final start on the mound before the All-Star break. He addressed the issue by receiving an injection of lubricant during the break, rather than having his knee drained, and he now seems to be back on track toward resuming his duties as a pitcher. He will continue to serve as the Dodgers' regular designated hitter in the meantime and make his eighth consecutive start at DH against the Yankees on Friday.

Ohtani (knee) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Friday's game versus the Yankees.

Ohtani has dealt with left knee irritation in recent weeks and was expected to have his knee drained Sunday following the Dodgers' last game of the first half. The issue prevented Ohtani from making his final start on the mound before the break, but it has not kept him from hitting, as he will make an eighth straight start at DH in Friday's series opener in the Bronx.

Ohtani (knee) is not listed among the Dodgers' scheduled starting pitchers for this weekend's series against the Yankees, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Ohtani has not started a game on the mound in two weeks as he deals with a nagging left knee issue. He had the knee drained Sunday and was expected to receive an injection in the knee over the All-Star break, as well. The Dodgers haven't revealed when Ohtani's first start of the second half as a pitcher will be, but Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register speculates it could be next Wednesday in Philadelphia. Ohtani will be available to serve as a designated hitter this weekend versus the Yankees.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Cubs.

Suarez, who homered for a second straight day, dialed up the power this past week with three long balls over his last six games (22 ABs). The flip side of that are the 16 times he's struck out during that stretch. Suarez has 11 home runs and 35 RBI through 67 games.

Ohtani is set to get his left knee drained shortly after the Dodgers' contest Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani will get his problematic left knee addressed as soon as possible ahead of the All-Star break in order to maximize his healing time. The two-way star is skipping the Midsummer Classic this year in order to get extra rest, as he's been dealing with inflammation in his knee since mid-June. Though the issue resulted in him missing his most recent start as a pitcher, he's expected to retake his regular spot in the rotation following the break. Ohtani doesn't seem to be impacted much by the knee as a hitter, as he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run Sunday and closed the first half with a home run in four of his final six contests.

Andujar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

After a run of three consecutive starts against right-handed pitchers during which he went 3-for-9 with three doubles, a walk, two runs and two RBI, Andujar has now been left on the bench for the Padres' ensuing two contests, both of which have also come against righties. The 31-year-old may have to settle for a short-side platoon role while the Padres are seemingly prioritizing Ty France and Sung-Mun Song ahead of him in matchups versus righties.

Polanco is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Polanco will hit the bench for the Mets' final game before the All-Star break while Juan Soto gets a day off from playing the outfield as the designated hitter. Since being activated from the 60-day injured list July 7, Polanco has started at DH in four of six games, going 3-for-16 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run. He's not expected to be available to play first base anytime soon coming off injuries to his Achilles and ankle, and unless he's able to catch fire at the plate, Polanco could find himself on the bench once Luis Robert (back) returns from the 60-day IL at some point following the All-Star break.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Cubs on Saturday.

Coming into Saturday, Lowe had remarkably failed to plate a run over his past 28 games dating back to May 31. He finally ended that skid when he launched a solo blast to right field in the fourth inning Saturday. Lowe posted a paltry .544 OPS during the RBI drought and struck out at a 33.3 percent clip, which has cost him playing time -- he's started just twice over the Reds' past six contests.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Ohtani wasn't able to pitch Friday due to ongoing irritation in his left knee, which is expected to be addressed during the All-Star break. The superstar still got into the lineup as designated hitter and delivered a home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He's up to 21 homers on the year, including nine that have come in the first inning of games. That ties him with Drake Baldwin and Junior Caminero for the most first-inning homers in the majors. Ohtani is batting .290 with a .943 OPS, 57 RBI, 63 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and six stolen bases over 90 games as a hitter this year.