MLB Player News

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.

Pederson was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals with left hip discomfort, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Pederson went 0-for-1 with a walk before leaving Wednesday's contest in the fifth inning. It remains unknown whether his hip will cause him to miss additional games, but the Rangers may provide more information after the game.

Rooker won't play in Wednesday's game against the Brewers due to knee soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay said the team will wait to see how Rooker feels leading up to Friday's game against the Rockies before deciding whether he needs to spend time on the injured list. Carlos Cortes will work as the Athletics' designated hitter Wednesday while Lawrence Butler starts in right field, and that could be the defensive alignment the team uses if Rooker has to miss more time.

Rooker isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Milwaukee.

Rooker has slashed .243/.300/.541 with three homers and eight runs scored across his last 10 games, but the A's will now have him begin on the bench for a second consecutive game. Carlos Cortes will move into the DH spot as a result, opening up right field for Lawrence Butler.

Benintendi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.

With a tough lefty (Chris Sale) on the bump for Atlanta, the left-handed-hitting Benintendi will retreat to the bench. Randal Grichuk will enter the lineup as Benintendi's replacement at designated hitter.

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.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-5 win over Boston.

Diaz turned in his seventh game of the season with at least three hits Wednesday. The 34-year-old designated hitter is raking of late, hitting safely in seven consecutive outings while collecting eight RBI during that stretch. For the year, Diaz is slashing a potent .331/.404/.536 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles and 46 RBI over 272 plate appearances.

Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Melendez had started in four of the team's previous five matchups with right-handed pitchers, but the Mets won't have room for him in the lineup Wednesday while Francisco Alvarez handles designated-hitter duties in his second game back from the IL. Since the start of May, Melendez has posted a weak .533 OPS, so he likely still has more work to do in order to strengthen his grasp on a regular lineup sot.

Andujar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Andujar was forced to depart Sunday's game versus the Mets after tweaking his hamstring, and he's now missed all three starts in the Padres' series against the Reds. The Padres have a team off day Thursday and could make a decision on a potential IL stint for Andujar before Friday's contest in Baltimore. Will Wagner is filling in at designated hitter Wednesday.

Herrera went 3-for-3 with a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Mets.

Herrera was hit by a Freddy Peralta pitch in both of his first two trips to the plate before later adding two singles and a double. The 26-year-old's hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity are all down year-over-year. However, Herrera boasts a 12 percent walk rate and a 16.5 percent strikeout rate, and he is on pace to score more than 100 runs.