MLB Player News

Ohtani (5-2) allowed one run on zero hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Rockies. He also went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the 4-1 victory.

Ohtani was actually a little shaky with his command, throwing just 56 of 99 pitches for strikes. The Rockies were able to take advantage for one run in the fourth inning but ultimately didn't get a hit off the two-way superstar. Ohtani may have been bothered a bit by the hit-by-pitch he suffered Tuesday, though it wasn't enough to cause him to be scratched from the lineup or his start. On the mound this season, he continues an elite campaign that has seen him pitch to a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB over 55 innings through nine starts, including just three runs allowed on 11 hits, eight walks and two hit batsmen over 25 innings in May. He's also 18-for-47 (.383) with three homers and 14 RBI over his last 13 contests, and he's up to a .269/.400/.482 slash line with nine homers, 30 RBI, 36 runs scored and six stolen bases over 55 games. Ohtani's next pitching start is projected to be at Arizona.

Pederson went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and a third run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.

Pederson and opposing designated hitter Yordan Alvarez stole the show, each hitting two homers in the contest. Pederson has gone 10-for-23 (.435) with three homers and six RBI over his last eight games. He's now batting .250 with a .791 OPS, six long balls, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 51 contests this season. The 34-year-old should continue to fill a strong-side platoon role at DH while routinely hitting leadoff when in the lineup.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Alvarez has feasted on Texas pitching in this series, going 6-for-12 with five homers and eight RBI over the last three games. He's recorded his two multi-homer games of the year over the last two contests and is up to 20 long balls on the year. The slugger is batting .312 with a 1.085 OPS, 39 RBI, 36 runs scored, one stolen base and 11 doubles across 56 games in what has started out as an MVP-caliber season.

Soto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during the Mets' 4-2 win against the Reds on Wednesday.

Soto started the game batting third and launched a homer to right in his first plate appearance against Andrew Abbott in the first inning. The blast marked Soto's 12th home run of the season and sixth in his past eight games. The All-Star is now slashing .301/.392/.594 over 39 games played after his recent hot streak.

Ohtani is in the lineup at DH for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was uncertain to work as both a pitcher and hitter leading up to Wednesday's contest, especially after he got hit on the hand by a pitch Tuesday, but manager Dave Roberts confirmed before the game that the 31-year-old superstar would get a chance to show off his two-way skills. With a .270/.403/.471 slash line through 236 plate appearances, Ohtani has had a down year offensively by his standards, but he's made up for it on the mound by posting a ridiculous 0.73 ERA and 0.84 WHIP alongside a 54:13 K:BB through 49 innings.

Ballesteros will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Just when he appeared to have ceded primary DH duties to Michael Conforto, Ballesteros has re-emerged to take back playing time at that spot in the lineup. Ballesteros will be awarded a fifth consecutive start after going 2-for-9 with a 5:3 BB:K and a run scored over the previous four contests. The Cubs will still look to shield Ballesteros from left-handed pitching, but he could continue to see the bulk of the starts at DH versus righties if he can continue to get on base at a steady clip.

The Rangers designated McCutchen for assignment Wednesday.

McCutchen will give up his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to infielder Nicky Lopez, whom the Rangers signed to a one-year contract. After joining Texas late in spring training on a minor-league deal, the 39-year-old McCutchen was able to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster but proceeded to hit just .192/.277/.260 with a career-worst 26.5 percent strikeout rate in 83 plate appearances. Given McCutchen's struggles with Texas this season along with the fact that he's best suited as a designated hitter rather than a corner outfielder at this stage of his career, the five-time All-Star may not be able to find another opportunity at the big-league level.

Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The left-handed-hitting Melendez will take a seat for the second time in the series while the Reds send another lefty (Andrew Abbott) to the bump. Eric Wagaman will step in for Melendez as the Mets' designated hitter and will bat seventh.

Gasper will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game versus Atlanta.

It's the second straight start behind the plate and third start over the last four contests for Gasper. The Red Sox are carrying three catchers and have been using all of them, with Gasper, Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong all netting at least two starts at catcher over the last 10 games. Gasper also has an additional three starts at designated hitter during that stretch.

Eldridge went 1-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to Arizona.

Eldridge lined a double to right field in the second inning, marking his second two-bagger of the season. The 21-year-old struggled upon being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, though he's been trending upward of late. He's recorded at least one hit in four of his last six games, slashing .286/.348/.381 with an RBI and a run scored across 23 plate appearances during that span.