MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani (knee) could pitch in a game as early as next week, Dylan Hernandez of the California Post reports.

The right-hander threw 30 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, and he'll have one more bullpen session or live batting practice session on the schedule during the Dodgers' upcoming series in Atlanta before a decision is made whether he's ready for game action, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. Ohtani -- who hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since July 3 due to knee issues and a right biceps injury -- was in the midst of a dominant campaign on the mound with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 95:26 K:BB across 85.2 innings. He's continued to be a force at the plate with a .935 OPS through 20 games in August and is batting leadoff, as usual, in Sunday's series finale with the Pirates.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a run scored during Saturday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

Perez connected for only his second long ball of the month and his first since Aug. 1 on Saturday. The 36-year-old extended his hitting streak to a modest four games and has picked up at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. This year, Perez is slashing .220/.265/.373 with 17 homers and 57 RBI in 504 plate appearances.

Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

Schwarber drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before adding a solo blast in the eighth. The 33-year-old is hitting just .216 in 31 games since the All-Star break, but he's now gone deep five times over his past 12 contests. On the season, he's slashing .245/.363/.529 with a major-league-leading 38 long balls, 76 RBI, 75 runs scored and three steals across 555 plate appearances.

Springer went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.

The veteran slugger gave the Blue Jays a quick lead with an RBI single in the first inning, which they never relinquished. Springer has multiple hits in three of his last five games, an impressive turnaround after he'd gone 14 straight contests without a multi-hit showing. He's still looking for his first home run in August, batting .262 (16-for-61) on the month with two doubles, a triple, three steals, seven runs and seven RBI over 20 games.

Ohtani (knee) threw a 30-pitch live batting practice session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

For the first time since making his last appearance as a pitcher July 3, Ohtani faced off against hitters in what marked a major milestone in his recovery from a lingering left knee issue and a more minor triceps injury. Manager Dave Roberts said afterward that Ohtani will likely need to throw one more live BP before getting cleared to pitch in games, but the two-way superstar doesn't seem to be too far away from doing so. Once he's eventually ready to start as a pitcher, Ohtani will likely be operating with a restricted workload and could need to be piggybacked.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton sustained a moderate left calf while running the bases Thursday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Stanton has been on the injured list since April 28 due to a strained right calf, but his other calf is now the bigger concern after he strained it while falling down during his most recent baserunning session. The Yankees haven't yet ruled out a return for Stanton later this season, but Boone admitted that it will be difficult for the veteran slugger to return before the end of the campaign as a result of his latest setback.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored in Friday's 4-0 win over the Athletics. He was also hit by a pitch.

Alvarez drove in runs on doubles in the fifth and seventh innings. The 29-year-old slugger has homered just once in 18 August contests, but he's hitting .302 with eight doubles, eight RBI and 11 runs scored in what has still been a productive month. On the season, he's slashing .321/.434/.618 with 36 home runs, 90 RBI, 85 runs scored and a stolen base across 557 plate appearances.

Perez went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Perez notched his first three-hit effort of the second half, driving in a run on a single in the fourth inning. The veteran hasn't hit for much power recently, but he's batting .250 with 11 RBI through 16 August contests. On the season, he's slashing .219/.265/.368 with 16 homers, 56 RBI and 43 runs scored across 497 plate appearances.

Rice went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a 5-3 win against Baltimore on Wednesday.

Rice gave New York a 3-1 lead with a prodigious 447-foot solo blast in the third inning. It was the slugger's second long ball over his past three games and his 34th of the campaign, tied for fifth most in the majors. Fantasy managers who roster Rice are certainly glad to see his bat coming alive after he batted just .158 with only three home runs over his initial 27 contests following the All-Star break. Even with that slump, his .878 OPS ranks No. 13 in MLB.

Suarez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.

Suarez will receive a routine day of rest after being in the lineup for each of the previous 16 contests. Elly De La Cruz is getting a designated-hitter day, while Ke'Bryan Hayes will handle third base for the Reds.