MLB Player News
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Mets' J.D. Martinez: Season debut expected Friday
Martinez (back) is on track to be added to the Mets' 26-man active roster ahead of Friday's game versus the Cardinals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Martinez is slated to play what is expected to be a final game with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. As long as he comes out of it with no issues, he should serve as the Mets' designated hitter Friday. Martinez went to the minors to knock off some rust after signing with the Mets late in spring training and had to take a break from game action briefly due to a minor back problem, but he's healthy now and is nearing his 2024 debut with the big club. According to a Mike Puma of the New York Post, manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that he plans to slot Martinez directly behind cleanup batter Pete Alonso as the Mets' No. 5 hitter once he's activated.
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Miguel Sano 3B | LAA
Angels' Miguel Sano: Draws another start at third base
Sano will start at third base and bat cleanup in Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Sano will make his seventh straight start Wednesday, including his fourth in a row at the hot corner. With Anthony Rendon () on the injured list, Sano looks as though he'll handle an everyday role at third base, at least while he continues to hold his own at the plate. Though Sano hasn't provided much in the way of counting stats through his first 19 games of the season (one home run, eight runs and five RBI), he's hitting .281 and getting on base at a .373 clip.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Takes seat versus lefty
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting O'Hearn will retreat to the bench while southpaw Tyler Anderson toes the rubber for the Angels. O'Hearn's absence clears up the designated-hitter spot for Adley Rutschman, allowing Rutschman to get a day out of the field while James McCann handles catching duties for Baltimore.
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DJ Stewart RF | PIT
Mets' DJ Stewart: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Stewart is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Southpaw Blake Snell is on the hill for the Giants, so the left-handed-hitting Stewart will begin Wednesday's game on the bench. Starling Marte will serve as the Mets' designated hitter in Stewart's stead, and with J.D. Martinez potentially set to report to the big club this weekend, Stewart's time as New York's primary DH may have already come to an end.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Bashes long homer
Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Washington.
Ohtani capped the scoring in the contest with a 450-foot solo blast to right-center field. Per MLB.com, the homer was hit at 118.7 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball in the majors so far this season. It also extended Ohtani's hitting streak to eight games, during which he is slashing .414/.514/.655 with two long balls, four RBI, seven runs, three steals and a 6:6 BB:K.
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Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Sitting against lefty
Burleson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
While his path to regular playing time against right-handed pitching has opened up a bit with Jordan Walker getting optioned to Triple-A Memphis earlier Wednesday, the lefty-hitting Burleson is still projected to sit regularly against lefties. Burleson's absence from the lineup Wednesday thus comes as little surprise with southpaw Jordan Montgomery on the hill for Arizona.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Homers Tuesday
Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.
Sanchez was responsible for the Brewers' lone run Tuesday with a 432-foot blast off Bailey Falter to lead off the eighth inning. It's the second long ball of the year for Sanchez -- the 31-year-old backstop has primarily served as a bench option in the early going, backing up William Contreras with Rhys Hoskins serving as Milwaukee's primary DH. Sanchez is slashing just .167/.211/.361 with three RBI and two runs scored through his first 38 plate appearances.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Looking good as leadoff hitter
McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Brewers.
McCutchen has hit atop the Pirates' order in consecutive games and has led off each contest with a homer. He now has three long balls on the season and is potentially getting out of a slump that resulted in him hitting just .173 across his first 14 games of the campaign. It's unclear whether McCutchen has taken over leadoff duties for good, but the Pirates have shifted Oneil Cruz down the lineup as a result.
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Masataka Yoshida LF | BOS
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Enters as pinch hitter
Yoshida entered Tuesday's game as a pinch hitter and was hit by a pitch in a 4-1 loss to Cleveland.
Yoshida was held out of the starting lineup against a righty, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora explaining that decision was more about getting Tyler O'Neill's bat in the lineup and less about Yoshida, per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. Yoshida will be back in the starting lineup Wednesday, per Cora.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Belts three-run homer
Jimenez went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, a stolen base and a second run scored during Tuesday's loss to the Twins.
Jimenez's fourth-inning shot flipped the score from 1-0 to 3-1, and he came around to score after drawing a walk in the eighth to make it a 5-2 game. The White Sox ultimately were unable to come away with the win Tuesday, but the 27-year-old's offensive outburst propelled him up to a .795 OPS in eight games since returning from the injured list April 15.