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  • Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD

    Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Leads off Sunday's loss with homer

    Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday in a 3-1 loss to the Mets.

    Highlighting why Ohtani is the most unique player in baseball, the two-way star threw a 22-pitch live batting practice session -- marking his first time facing live hitters since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2023 -- before Sunday's game and then led off the contest with a 411-foot solo blast on Kodai Senga's second pitch. While excitement is starting to build about Ohtani's eventual return to the mound, he continues to rank as one of the league's most feared hitters, tying for the MLB lead with 18 home runs while posting a 1.026 OPS. According to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani likely won't make his debut as a pitcher until after the All-Star break, but in the meantime, the 30-year-old should continue to provide plenty of value for fantasy managers with his production at the plate.

  • Brewers' Christian Yelich: Absent from Monday's lineup

    Yelich is not in in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

    Yelich turned in a multi-homer game last week and has collected seven hits in his last four games, but the Brewers are facing tough lefty Garrett Crochet in the series opener, so it seems like a decent time to get Yelich a rest. The 33-year-old outfielder/DH is batting just .127/.225/.127 against left-handed pitching so far this season.

  • Pavin Smith DH | ARI

    Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Delivers run in loss

    Smith went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals.

    Smith gave Arizona a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning when he singled in a run. The RBI was his third over the last 27 games, a stretch during which Smith has just three extra-base hits, batted .227 (17-for-75) and struck out at a 30.7 percent clip. As the strongside of a platoon at DH, he has a respectable .301 batting average and an .892 OPS, but there's very little heft to it. Smith, who spent a good portion of the season batting third, has just 12 RBI and can thank an outrageous BABIP (.439) for what Statcast estimates to be a .229 expected batting average.

  • Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Continues to progress toward return

    Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Sunday that Stanton (elbows) will likely take live batting practice over the next two weeks and is getting close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

    Stanton began taking batting practice on the field in late April, but he's yet to face live pitching. With that hurdle seeming likely to be cleared in the near future, a tangible picture of the slugger's path to being activated from the injured list is emerging. Should Stanton need a relatively short rehab stint -- a possibility made more likely by the fact that his status as a designated hitter means he won't need to get comfortable playing the field -- the veteran could be back with the big-league club in early June.

  • Gavin Sheets LF | SD

    Padres' Gavin Sheets: Slugs 10th homer

    Sheets went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Sunday's 5-3 victory over Atlanta.

    The 29-year-old reached double-digit home runs for the fifth consecutive season with a 423-foot blast off Atlanta starter Spencer Schwellenbach in the sixth inning. Sheets has been a steady power bat in May so far, hitting .307 (23-for-75) with seven homers, 19 RBI and 11 runs scored across 20 games. Although he posted four straight years of 10-plus homers with the White Sox, Sheets is breaking out this year in San Diego with a .283/.327/.517 slash line through 171 plate appearances.

  • Seiya Suzuki DH | CHC

    Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Hits game-winning homer Sunday

    Suzuki went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-8 win over the Reds.

    Suzuki delivered in the clutch with a three-run homer that broke an 8-8 tie in the top of the eighth inning. The 30-year-old has been on a tear over his last 10 games, hitting safely in nine of them while racking up four home runs, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored. He's currently on pace for a career-best season, slashing .273/.330/.576 with 14 long balls, 49 RBI, 33 runs scored and one stolen base across 221 plate appearances.

  • Ryan O'Hearn 1B | SD

    Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Three hits, homer in win

    O'Hearn went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

    O'Hearn extended Baltimore's lead to 3-0 with a solo shot off Greg Weissert in the sixth inning, his eighth homer of the year and his first in 18 games. Despite the power drought, O'Hearn has certainly been swinging the bat well -- he's now 12-for-21 (.571) in his last five contests. The 31-year-old O'Hearn is slashing an impressive .329/.419/.537 through 172 plate appearances this season with 18 RBI, 21 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

  • Starling Marte DH | NYM

    Mets' Starling Marte: Retreating to bench Sunday

    Marte is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

    Though Brandon Nimmo (neck) remains on the bench for the series finale, Marte will take a seat after starting in each of the Mets' last three games and going 3-for-10 with two walks, an RBI and a run. Assuming Nimmo doesn't require a stint on the injured list and is back in the lineup within the next few days, the Mets will likely continue to deploy Marte primarily against left-handed pitching.

  • Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU

    Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Return timeline still cloudy

    Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Alvarez (hand) is taking part in all baseball activities, but the skipper said he won't "put a specific game or day" for the slugger being activated from the injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

    The 27-year-old slugger appears to be in the final stages of his recovery from a hand strain given that he's ramped up his workouts over the past few days, but the Astros aren't tipping their hand on when he may rejoin the active roster. Alvarez has been sidelined by the injury for the past three weeks, though he may not require a minor-league rehab assignment before being reinstated.

  • Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD

    Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Faces hitters for first time

    Ohtani threw a 22-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

    Facing live hitters for the first time since undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery Sept. 19, 2023, Ohtani reached a major milestone Sunday in what's been a slow ramp-up process with his throwing program. While taking the mound for five total at-bats against teammates Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing as well as a member of the Dodgers coaching staff, Ohtani recorded a pair of strikeouts and a groundout and gave up a walk and a double. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said that Ohtani was throwing "free and easy" and sported a fastball that sat around 94 to 95 miles per hour during Sunday's workout while also mixing in a couple of sweepers as well as a splitter. Ohtani will likely continue to ramp up the intensity and volume of his live sessions over the next few weeks before the team pinpoints a target date for his debut as a pitcher. In the meantime, his preparations as a pitcher aren't expected to prevent him from serving as the Dodgers' everyday designated hitter; Ohtani will be in the lineup in the leadoff spot for Sunday's series finale versus the Mets.

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