MLB Player News

Ohtani is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.

Ohtani will get the day off after tossing seven dominant innings against the A's on Sunday, striking out 12 and allowing no runs on just two baserunners. The 23-year-old is off to an incredible start to the season, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.46 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB across 13 innings while slashing .389/.421/.889 with three homers in 18 at-bats. Justin Upton is starting at designated hitter with Ohtani opening Monday's game on the bench, which opens up a spot for Ryan Schimpf to start in left field.

Brantley is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Indians will look to ease Brantley into action as he returns from ankle surgery, so he'll head to the bench for Monday's series opener after starting each of the previous three games. In his place, Rajai Davis will start in left field and hit sixth. The 30-year-old is 2-for-11 with a walk and a pair of RBI since returning from the disabled list last week.

Harper went 3-for-4 with two walks, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.

The slugger already has six homers and 12 RBI through nine games to begin the season, and other teams have noticed -- Harper's also been walked 13 times against only five strikeouts. Staying healthy is always a concern, but if Harper can suit up for 150 or more games this year, something he's only done once in his career so far, a truly historic performance at the plate could be the result.

Ohtani (2-0) pitched seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to record his second win Sunday against the Athletics. He allowed just one hit and issued a single walk.

Marcus Semien broke up a perfect game in the seventh inning and Jed Lowrie followed that up with a walk, but Ohtani was able to finish the frame before handing things over to the bullpen. It hasn't taken long for Ohtani to live up to the lofty offseason buzz he garnered. He's won both his starts with 18 strikeouts through just 13 innings while also hitting three home runs with seven RBI through just 18 at-bats. His ability to contribute in both pitching and hitting categories adds value unforeseen in past years, and fantasy owners who took the calculated risk on him should be thrilled with his impressive start to the season.

Stanton went 0-for-7 and struck out five times in Sunday's loss to the Orioles.

Sunday's hitless showing drove Stanton's batting average down to .167 for the year. The reigning National League MVP has struggled to make contact lately, as this was the second time this season that he struck out five times in a game. Over 48 plate appearances this season, Stanton has been fanned 20 times.

Miller was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a left groin strain.

The severity of Miller's injury is unclear at this point in time, so a potential time frame for his return should become available after the team further evaluates him. With Miller set to miss some time, C.J. Cron will be in line to see more time at first base.

Soler went 3-for-4 with a double in Sunday's loss to the Indians.

Prior to Sunday's game, Soler had failed to record a hit over four games this season. However, while he reached base three times, Soler couldn't manage to cross the plate and was caught stealing in his one attempt to swipe a base.

Miller injured his groin while running the bases Sunday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Miller left Sunday's game, Joey Wendle entered to play second base while Daniel Robertson moved to first. It appears that Miller could need more than a day off to recover, as it was reported that the Rays may opt to place him on the disabled list. Additional information on Miller's status should be available soon. If Miller is unavailable to play, C.J. Cron would likely fill in at first base.

Belt is not in the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt will open the game on the bench for the third time in the past five games as the Giants draw a matchup with lefty Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. Pablo Sandoval picks up the start at first base in his absence.

The Athletics recalled Canha from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Despite an impressive spring training, Canha lost out on a reserve outfield role to Jake Smolinski when camp ended. It didn't take long for Canha to earn another look from the big club, however, as he was called up to provide added depth in the outfield following Boog Powell's (knee) placement on the disabled list. While he remains with the Athletics, expect Canha to see most of his starts against left-handed pitching.