MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Guardians that Yoshida is still viewed as the team's primary designated hitter, despite being on the bench for two straight matchups with right-handed starting pitchers, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He's an everyday DH, man," Cora said of Yoshida. "I don't know what the big deal is. [Tyler] O'Neill had to DH [on Tuesday]. [Rafael Devers] had to DH [on Wednesday]."

Yoshida's consecutive absences from the lineup created some question regarding whether the 30-year-old was still viewed as an everyday player after struggling to a .250/.333/.375 slash line through the Red Sox's first 24 games of the season, but Cora dispelled the notion that Yoshida's role was being downsized. The skipper noted that the Red Sox's injury situation was largely responsible for Yoshida being excluded from the lineup, as O'Neill was limited to DH duties when he came off the 7-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's 4-1 loss, and Devers was eased back in as a DH on Wednesday after having not played in a week due to a bone bruise in his left knee. O'Neill returned to his usual spot in left field Wednesday, but Devers may need another day or two as a DH before the Red Sox clear him to play third base. Since the Red Sox aren't keen on having Yoshida play in the corner outfield, he could miss out on more starts until Devers is back at third base on a full-time basis.

Turner is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Turner's absence from the lineup looks to be nothing more than a routine maintenance day after the 39-year-old had started in each of the Blue Jays' last nine games. Daniel Vogelbach will fill in for Turner as Toronto's designated hitter.

Florial will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Florial will get his second straight start against a right-handed starting pitcher (Cooper Criswell) after he went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 win. The 26-year-old looks to be gaining traction as Cleveland's primary designated hitter.

Yoshida is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Yoshida didn't start Tuesday, either, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora had indicated the 30-year-old would be back in the lineup Wednesday. That's not the case, as the lefty-hitting Yoshida is sitting out a second straight contest against a right-hander. According to Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican, Cora hasn't provided clarity whether Yoshida is dealing with an injury or is simply being held out of the lineup for performance-related reasons, as Yoshida is slashing just .250/.333/.375 over 21 contests this season. Rafael Devers will serve as Boston's designated hitter Wednesday while Yoshida remains on the bench.

McCutchen is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Brewers.

McCutchen has gone deep in back-to-back contests, but he'll receive a day of rest Wednesday. Bryan Reynolds will get a turn as the Pirates' designated hitter, while Connor Joe and Edward Olivares will occupy the outfield corners.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.