MLB Player News

Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 13-7 loss to the Pirates.

Morel is now up to 24 home runs after hitting 16 long balls as a rookie last season. While it's a solid total, the 24-year-old did hit nine of them in his first 12 games of the year. Since then, Morel has 15 home runs in 89 games. For fantasy purposes, the youngster has been a good player to use during a hot streak, though he's still looking for more consistency at the plate, and he'll need to cut down on the strikeouts moving forward.

Baker will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth Wednesday versus the Brewers.

The 26-year-old should see an uptick in playing time over what remains of the 2023 regular season with Alec Burleson (thumb) joining Nolan Gorman (hamstring) on the injured list. Baker has gone 12-for-56 (.214) with 22 strikeouts through his first 22 games at the MLB level, but he was slashing .334/.440/.720 with 33 homers and 98 RBI in 84 games for Triple-A Memphis prior to being recalled in mid-August.

Kjerstad went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Astros.

Kjerstad padded the Orioles' lead in the seventh inning with his second homer in five games since he was called up. He's gone 4-for-13 with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old has made all three of his starts at designated hitter, though he can also be an option at first base and in the corner outfield in a pinch. For now, it appears the Orioles are focused on letting him hit in a part-time role versus right-handed pitchers.

Buxton (knee) remains hopeful of resuming a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul soon, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

St. Paul's season ends Sunday, so if Buxton gets into some rehab games it will need to happen soon. The outfielder received a cortisone injection for his ailing right knee earlier this month and has continued hitting, throwing and running. It's not clear whether playing center field could still be an option for Buxton or if the Twins plan to continue limiting him to designated hitter duty when/if he returns.

Alvarez is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Orioles.

Alvarez is hitting .298 with five home runs, nine runs and 16 RBI in 17 games this month. Yainer Diaz draws the start at designated hitter while Jake Meyers gets a nod in the outfield.

Canario went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and five RBI in Tuesday's 14-1 win of the Pirates.

Making his first big-league start and batting ninth as the DH, the 23-year-old helped put the finishing touches on the rout by slugging his first career homer in the eighth inning -- a grand slam off Kyle Nicolas. Canario has flashed big-time power in the minors, launching eight homers in 36 games for Triple-A Iowa this season after mashing 30 over 101 games in the high minors the year before, but he still needs to prove he can make consistent enough contact against major-league pitching to become a significant part of the Cubs' future.

Meneses went 1-for-1 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Pinch-hitting for Blake Rutherford in the seventh inning, Meneses launched a clutch three-run homer off Bryan Shaw, putting the Nationals ahead 4-2 en route to a 4-3 victory. The homer was Menses' first in 37 games, with his last coming Aug. 8. While he's hit only 12 homers this year, the 31-year-old Menses is still slashing a solid .279/.326/.406 with a team-high 84 RBI to go with 67 runs scored through 610 plate appearances.

Martinez went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Tigers.

Martinez has enjoyed hitting against his former team, going 5-for-6 with three homers and six RBI over the first two games of this series. The designated hitter is at 29 long balls this season, putting him within striking distance of his first 30-homer campaign since 2019. He's added a .270/.324/.566 slash line with 92 RBI, 56 runs scored, a stolen base, 24 doubles and two triples through 102 contests in his first season with the Dodgers.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Pederson is hitting .261 (12-for-46) with five extra-base hits and six RBI over 14 contests in September. His homer in the first inning put the Giants ahead 2-0, but the lead was gone by the end of the second. The veteran slugger is up to 14 homers, 50 RBI, 56 runs scored and a .248/.357/.432 slash line through 111 contests in his customary strong-side platoon role.

Ohtani underwent surgery on his right elbow Tuesday, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, confirmed the right-hander had the procedure in Los Angeles on Tuesday, though Bazelo didn't clarify the nature of the surgery. However, Bazelo noted that Ohtani's procedure "reinforced the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow," which likely indicates that the two-way star opted for an alternative to Tommy John surgery. Citing comments from Ohtani's surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Balelo relayed that the 29-year-old is expected to make a full recovery and will be ready to hit without restrictions by Opening Day, though Ohtani won't be cleared to pitch again until 2025. Ohtani, who is also recovering from an oblique injury that will prevent him from serving as a designated hitter the rest of the season, will finish the 2023 campaign with a .304/.412/.654 slash -- all of which represent career highs -- 44 home runs and 20 stolen bases across 594 plate appearances. Before suffering the elbow injury in late August, Ohtani also maintained a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings as a pitcher. Ohtani is set to become a free agent this offseason and is certain to spark a bidding war between many teams, even though he'll be limited strictly to hitting in 2024.