MLB Player News

Polanco will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Though he'll be included in the starting nine for the series finale, Polanco has cracked the Mets' lineup just three times in the last seven games. Since he's not yet cleared to play first base since making his return from a lengthy stay on the shelf due to Achilles and ankle injuries, Polanco will be limited to the DH spot. The Mets may be more inclined to rotate players at DH rather than leaning on Polanco as the primary option, especially while he's mustered a lowly .489 OPS through 21 games on the season.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

Lowe homered for the third time over his last four games. He's added six RBI in that span. The first baseman could get a boost in playing time as long as Spencer Steer (ribs) is out of the lineup. Lowe is batting .249 with an .815 OPS, 12 homers, 31 RBI, 23 runs scored and 13 doubles over 235 plate appearances this season.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

Suarez went yard off Luis Castillo in the fourth inning to put the Reds up 2-0. This was Suarez's fifth homer in his last 11 games, though he's gone a modest 9-for-41 (.220) with a 3:21 BB:K in that span. The veteran slugger is hitting .208 with a .682 OPS, 13 homers, 37 RBI, 26 runs scored, 11 doubles and no stolen bases over 72 contests in the first year of his second stint with Cincinnati.

Yelich is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

The Mets are starting a left-hander in Zac Thornton, offering the Brewers a chance to get the lefty-swinging Yelich off his feet for a day. William Contreras will be used in the designated hitter spot, and Gary Sanchez will do the catching.

Smith is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

The veteran unsurprisingly remained on the bench Monday with lefty JP Sears taking the mound for San Diego, but Smith's absence Tuesday is coming against righty Walker Buehler. Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter in his return from the injured list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Ohtani (knee) could throw a bullpen session as soon as this weekend, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani has not made a start on the mound since July 3 as he deals with nagging irritation in his left knee. He had the knee drained and was given a cortisone shot over the All-Star break but felt more soreness while playing catch this past weekend. Ohtani played catch again Monday and might be ready to throw off a mound in a few days, but it will be multiple weeks before he's ready to start a game on the bump for the Dodgers. The knee issue has not kept Ohtani from designated hitter duties, as he will make an 11th straight start Monday in Philadelphia.

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.

The left-handed-hitting Smith will hit the bench for the second time in four games since the All-Star break while Atlanta goes up against lefty JP Sears in the series opener. With Smith taking a seat, Drake Baldwin will get a day off from catching but will stay in the lineup at designated hitter.

The Padres placed Andujar on the 10-day injured list Monday with a fractured right wrist.

Andujar was struck by a Lucas Erceg pitch during Sunday's win over the Royals. He remained in that contest, but subsequent testing revealed a fracture. Andujar needs only a splint and not a cast, and the Padres expect him to return sometime in August, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. With Andujar shelved, the Padres could utilize Manny Machado in the designated hitter spot and Sung-Mun Song at third base. On Monday in Atlanta, the club has Xander Bogaerts at DH and Song at shortstop.

Del Castillo went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-7 extra-inning win over the Cardinals.

Del Castillo made his first appearance since being recalled Saturday, serving as the designated hitter. An injury to Lourdes Gurriel (thigh) provides an opportunity for the left-handed batting Del Castillo to get platoon work at DH, although he was demoted earlier this month due to a lack of hitting.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Rockies.

Lowe wasted no time getting Cincinnati on the board, crushing a three-run homer off Ryan Feltner in his first plate appearance as part of a five-run opening inning. The blast was his 11th of the season, and after enduring a 28-game home run drought, he has now gone deep twice over his last three contests. Across 72 games this season, Lowe is slashing .249/.333/.473 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, 30 RBI and 22 runs scored.