MLB Player News
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Masataka Yoshida LF | BOS
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Season debut could be 'sped up'
Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida's (shoulder) return from the 60-day injured list could be expedited after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to meet [Tuesday or Wednesday] to go over a few things. Let's see if we can speed up the process," Cora said, in reference to when Yoshida might make his 2025 debut. "He can swing the bat. Now it's a matter of him getting at-bats and all that. But at the same time, respecting the rehab of the shoulder. So we'll decide that sooner rather than later."
Yoshida served exclusively as a designated hitter for the Red Sox in 2024 and has been operating with no restrictions at the plate since late February, but he's nonetheless remained on the IL all season while he's moved slowly through his throwing program following his Oct. 3 right shoulder labral repair. Because Devers had been serving as a full-time DH prior to being traded, the Red Sox weren't willing to activate Yoshida until he proved that his shoulder presented no issues for him while playing in the corner outfield. However, with Devers now out of the picture, Cora said that the Red Sox are considering bringing Yoshida back from the IL before he's cleared to play defense, with the skipper floating the possibility of using him in a platoon at DH with the right-handed-hitting Rob Refsnyder. Yoshida -- who played catch out to 120 feet Tuesday -- would still be an option in the outfield once he finally completes his throwing program, though the Red Sox likely wouldn't have much of a need for him to play defense. Wilyer Abreu's (oblique) expected return from the 10-day IL this weekend will create a logjam in the outfield that could spill over to the DH spot, but the Red Sox might be able to keep Yoshida's bat in the lineup by handing center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela more starts at second base at the expense of Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton, both of whom have offered little offensive production since the beginning of May.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Drives in three runs
Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a three-run double in Tuesday's win over the Mets.
Ozuna delivered a clutch, bases-clearing double in the eighth inning to knot the game up at 4-4. He produced six RBI through his first 10 games this month but has since driven in eight runs in four games. Ozuna has produced two multi-hit efforts over his last 13 contests and now owns a .257/.389/.427 slash line through 298 plate appearances.
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Seiya Suzuki RF | CHC
Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Blasts off in win
Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Brewers.
Suzuki continued his strong season, as he now has 18 home runs to go along with an .853 OPS. The OPS would be a new career best, while he's closing in on his career high of 21 home runs, which he recorded last year. Suzuki has been a consistent performer since coming over to the U.S. from Japan before the 2022 season, and he should continue to post strong counting stats as a staple in the middle of a strong Chicago lineup.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Left out of lineup in Devers' debut
Flores is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
With a .256 average, 11 home runs, 51 RBI and 31 runs over 70 games, Flores has been an excellent value for those that selected him late in drafts or scooped him off the waiver wire early on in the season, but his fantasy utility looks as though it could take a major hit after the Giants acquired Rafael Devers from the Red Sox on Sunday. Prior to Tuesday's contest, manager Bob Melvin made no mention of Devers being an option at third base while Matt Chapman (hand) is on the injured list, with the skipper noting that Devers will instead be used at designated hitter and eventually first base, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Flores' days as a third baseman also appear to be over at this point, and since Devers will be guaranteed an everyday spot in the lineup at DH until the Giants are comfortable having him play defense, Flores looks like he'll be vying with Dominic Smith for playing time at first base. Smith (.919 OPS) has gotten off to a nice start since signing with the Giants earlier this month and bats from the left side, so the right-handed-hitting Flores may end up having to settle for a short-side platoon role. Flores will be on the bench Tuesday while the Guardians send righty Slade Cecconi to the bump.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Giants' Rafael Devers: Expected to get look at first base
Manager Bob Melvin said that Devers -- who will start at designated hitter and bat third in his Giants debut Tuesday against the Guardians -- will also see some playing time at first base with his new team, Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. "Yeah, we talked to [Devers] a little bit and, like he said, he goes, 'I'll play wherever you want me to play. I'll hit wherever you want me to hit,'" Melvin said. "We're going to work with him and get him some groundballs at first and make sure he's comfortable before we put him over there, and that's pretty much the way we look at it right now -- little bit of DH and a little bit of first."
Devers refused to take reps at first base with Boston when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury in May, but after being shipped out to San Francisco in a stunning deal Sunday, the 28-year-old expressed a desire to make a positive first impression with his new organization and said through an interpreter Tuesday that he's "here to do whatever they want me to do," per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Aside from three innings at second base and three innings at shortstop, Devers has never played any position but third base during his career. He had served exclusively as a DH for Boston prior to being traded, and Melvin made no mention of the three-time All-Star moving back to his former position, even while Matt Chapman (hand) looks to be at least a couple weeks away from returning from the injured list. Instead, Devers looks as though he'll initially be used mostly at DH with the Giants, though the eventual plan is for him to take over as the club's everyday first baseman once the coaching staff feels he's capable of handling the position defensively.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Reaches 100.2 mph in pitching debut
Ohtani completed one inning in a no-decision during Monday's 6-3 win over the Padres, allowing one run on two hits with no walks or strikeouts. He also went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI as a hitter.
Thus begins the two-way Ohtani era in Los Angeles. While the revered superstar showed some rust in his Dodgers debut as a pitcher -- he threw just 16 of 28 pitches for strikes and allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, one of whom came around to score -- he also topped out at 100.2 miles per hour on his fastball and deployed four different pitch types. In addition, Ohtani -- who became the third National League player since 1900 to start a game as a pitcher and serve as his team's leadoff hitter -- plated more runs than he gave up, crushing an RBI double in the third inning and adding a run-scoring single in the fourth. It's important to remember that Ohtani's initial game appearances are the equivalent of what would be a minor-league rehab stint for most pitchers -- he hadn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2023 prior to Monday, but his status as a star hitter prevents him from going on an actual rehab assignment. With that in mind, it's probably going to take Ohtani several appearances to build up to a normal starter's workload, and he'll likely continue to work in the equivalent of an opener role in the short term. Per Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, the Dodgers plan on having Ohtani make starts as a pitcher every six or seven days, so he should be back on the mound for the final game of the Dodgers' homestand Sunday versus Washington.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Returning to lineup
O'Hearn (ankle) will start at first base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Rays.
O'Hearn missed the previous two contests after injuring his left ankle this past Friday, but he's ready to roll for Monday's series opener. Coby Mayo will retreat to the bench after starting the last two games at first base in O'Hearn's place.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: On bench against southpaw
Bell is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.
Though the switch-hitting Bell started in two of the Nationals' previous three matchups with left-handed hurlers, he'll hit the bench Monday as the Rockies send southpaw Carson Palmquist to the hill. James Wood will get a day off from playing the outfield and will assume Bell's usual duties as Washington's designated hitter.