MLB Player News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Polanco is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

The switch-hitting Polanco still isn't fully comfortable batting as a right-hander while he's been managing a sore side for much of the season, so the Mariners will hold him out of the lineup for a second straight day while the Astros send another southpaw (Colton Gordon) to the bump. Mitch Garver will replace Polanco as Seattle's designated hitter.

The Blue Jays placed Heineman on the 7-day injured list Sunday due to a concussion.

Heineman took a couple foul balls off his catcher's mask during Thursday's game against the Padres and reported concussion symptoms Saturday, so he's now in the concussion protocol. Ali Sanchez was added to the big-league roster to serve as Toronto's backup backstop while Heineman is out.

The Rangers placed Pederson (hand) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Pederson fractured his right hand when it was hit by a pitch in Saturday's 10-5 loss to the White Sox. The veteran slugger said after the game that he was given a six-week estimate for a return from the IL, so he could be out of action until around the All-Star break. Prospect Alejandro Osuna was called up from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move and could end up serving as Pederson's primary replacement in the lineup against right-handed pitching, either at designated hitter or in an outfield spot.

Manzardo will start at first base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

The left-handed-hitting Manzardo was initially scheduled to receive the day off, but he'll end up having to face southpaw Tarik Skubal after the Guardians made Carlos Santana (leg) a late scratch. Manzando has a surprising 1.139 OPS against southpaws this season, albeit in only 34 plate appearances.

Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

The switch-hitting Bell has produced an abysmal .065/.216/.129 slash line over 37 plate appearances against lefties this season, and the Nationals seem content to treat him as a platoon player for the time being. He'll remain on the bench for the second day in a row as the Nationals face off against another Giants lefty in Robbie Ray.