MLB Player News

Vogelbach went 0-for-2 with two walks in a loss to the Athletics on Monday.

It says plenty about what type of night it was when a two-walk tally ranks as one of a team's most productive performances, but Vogelbach's two instances on the basepaths made him one of only three Mariners to reach safely on multiple occasions Monday. The pair of walks also served to at least give Vogelbach and his fantasy managers a bit of a reprieve from the forgettable start to his season, and it followed a Sunday start in which he also plated his first run of the campaign with a single.

Canha went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk, another base on balls, a hit-by-pitch and a run in a win over the Mariners on Monday.

The veteran outfielder was able to plate runs in the fifth and seventh innings, his sixth and seventh RBI of the campaign. Canha also boosted his on-base percentage to a stellar .474 with his busy night, and he's one of the few Athletics to have enjoyed some success at the plate this season.

The Dodgers are considering having Pederson bat leadoff against right-handed starters, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Los Angeles has been employing a matchup-based lineup strategy throughout the season, with Max Muncy batting first against right-handed starters and Mookie Betts leading off against southpaws. However, Muncy has been struggling of late, going 2-for-16 over his last four games. Pederson took over the leadoff spot against right-hander Chris Paddack on Monday and promptly went deep on the first pitch of the contest for his first home run of the season. Pederson has had plenty of success as a leadoff hitter in the past -- he hit 17 leadoff homers between 2018 and 2019, including a franchise-record nine last season.

Contrary to a previous report, Ohtani is day-to-day as a hitter with a Grade 1-2 strain of the flexor pronator mass. He won't begin a throwing progression for at least 4-to-6 weeks.

It's safe to say he won't pitch in regular-season games again this season, but there had been a report from the Los Angeles Times earlier in the day that Ohtani would go forward as the primary designated hitter. He will be with the team for its road trip which starts Tuesday in Seattle, but it sounds like he is questionable for that game.

Ohtani (arm) will continue as the Angels' primary designated hitter going forward, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He is expected to be with the team when it opens a six-game trip in Seattle on Tuesday. Ohtani had an MRI on his right arm after Sunday's brief start in which his fastball dipped from its customary 95-96 mph range to 89 mph in his final pitches. It sounds like the Angels won't be deploying Ohtani as a pitcher anytime soon, but that isn't necessarily the worst development for his 2020 fantasy value, given his ineffectiveness on the mound this year and his upside as a hitter. He has a .281/.345/.528 slash line with 42 home runs and 23 steals in 228 MLB games, but his 32.1 percent strikeout rate and 3.6 percent walk rate in 28 plate appearances this season are career-worst marks.

Colon will start Monday's game against Cleveland, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Colon was scratched from Monday's lineup to make room for Joey Votto (illness), but he'll rejoin the starting nine as the designated hitter after Nick Senzel was scratched with a sprained left ring finger. Colon will bat eighth in Monday's contest.

Colon was scratched from the lineup Monday against the Indians.

Colon was initially slated to play first base in the Reds' series opener against Cleveland, but he'll take a seat after Joey Votto (illness) was activated and put in the starting nine. With Votto available once again and Mike Moustakas (forearm) back in the lineup, Colon's playing time should take a significant hit.

Stanton has lost about 20 pounds since last season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton's listed weight typically hovers around 245 pounds, so he remains an imposing figure despite the weight loss. The slugger indicated that the decision to become leaner was made in response to his struggle to stay healthy last season. "I had a lot of time to think over last year," Stanton said. "I just wanted to cover all my bases. I tried to figure out what was the best way for me to stay on the field. What's the best way to for me to progress? I thought I'd give this a try and be closer to the weight of my younger years." The drop hasn't affected Stanton from a power perspective -- he has already hit two home runs and two doubles in 25 at-bats after compiling three of each in 59 at-bats last season. Most importantly, Stanton has remained healthy in the early part of the campaign after playing in only 18 games in 2019.

The White Sox optioned Mercedes to their alternate training site Monday.

The White Sox already have three other healthy catchers on the 30-man active roster, so Mercedes was never destined to stick around long in Chicago after receiving a callup Saturday. The 27-year-old backstop is unlikely to see extensive action with the big club in 2020 unless both Yasmani Grandal and James McCann are simultaneously sidelined.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Athletics on Sunday.

Vogelbach's first-inning single plated Dylan Moore to break a scoreless tie and gave the slugger his first RBI of the season. The 27-year-old operated out of the cleanup spot Sunday for the first time in 2020, even as he continues to be in a significant slump. Vogelbach is slashing just .118/.211/.118 across his first 19 plate appearances, with a drop in hard-contact rate from last season's 38.3 percent to 30.8 percent likely having a role to play in his struggles.