MLB Player News

Manager Dusty Baker said he is "hopeful" Alvarez (finger) will be able to rejoin the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chroniclereports.

The 26-year-old slugger is on the bench Wednesday for the second straight day after he accidentally slammed his left index finger in a door, but that could be the extent of his absence. Yainer Diaz is receiving another start at designated hitter in Alvarez's place versus Boston.

Ohtani was removed from the first half of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Reds as both a pitcher and hitter due to arm fatigue.

Ohtani slugged his 44th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning before departing from the mound in the top of the second after a short conversation with a trainer. He was then replaced at designated hitter by Nolan Schanuel in the bottom of the third. The two-way superstar has been battling off-and-on fatigue for the last handful of weeks, and Wednesday's truncated start was his first pitching appearance since Aug. 9. He could require another extended break from that element of his game. It's also unclear whether Ohtani will be able to return to DH duties in the second half of Wednesday's twin bill.

Ohtani was lifted from his start in the first half of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Reds due to an apparent injury, Greg Beacham of The Associated Press reports.

Making his first pitching appearance since Aug. 9 following a two-week break to deal with general fatigue, Ohtani had thrown only 26 pitches before he exited with a trainer in the top of the second inning. The two-way superstar tallied two strikeouts across 1.1 scoreless frames in the abbreviated outing versus Cincinnati, yielding a walk but no hits among the five batters he faced. Ohtani still remains in the game as a hitter after he slugged a two-run home run -- his 44th of the season -- in his first plate appearance.

Alvarez (finger) remains out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Red Sox.

Alvarez was scratched Tuesday after injuring his left index finger when he slammed a door on his hand at home. Astros manager Dusty Baker said it should only be a day-to-day type of issue, which suggests that the big slugger might be able to return in full for Thursday's series finale against Boston. Yainer Diaz is filling the DH role for Houston on Wednesday.

Cooper will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Cooper has largely served as a short-side platoon player between first base and designated hitter with the Padres, but he's carved out a larger share of the playing time versus right-handed pitching since Ji-Man Choi (rib) was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 14. Since Choi played his last game Aug. 11, Cooper has started nine of the Padres' subsequent 12 games, and two of those absences came over the weekend while Cooper dealt with a wrist injury.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said that Ohtani will not be under any workload restrictions in his return to the mound Wednesday versus the Reds, Brandon Deutsch of The Sporting Tribune reports.

It will be Ohtani's first start as a pitcher in two weeks, as he had his last outing skipped due to some fatigue. Wednesday's outing will be treated as a normal one, though, so fantasy managers don't have to worry about the superstar's workload being truncated.

Harper remains limited to designated hitter duty for the time being due to a nagging back issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It explains why Harper hasn't been able to play first base since Sunday, as he's still dealing with a bit of back stiffness which first surfaced a couple weeks ago. The Phillies have not ruled out Harper returning to first base Friday following Thursday's off day.

Canha will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Canha will pick up a third consecutive start after reaching base five times in the Brewers' previous two contests. Over his last 12 games, Canha is slashing .282/.370/.487 overall and looks as though he'll continue to serve as a near-everyday player for the Brewers so long as he wields a hot bat.

Ford is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Ford had served as the Mariners' designated hitter in each of the past three games, but he'll cede those duties to Dominic Canzone in the series finale. Until the Mariners get Jarred Kelenic (foot) back from the injured list, the Mariners should have two spots in the everyday lineup for Ford, Canzone and Cade Marlowe. Ford and Canzone are swinging the hotter bats of the three at the moment and may have an edge on playing time over Marlowe.

Morel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Morel will head to the bench for the second time in the series, perhaps suggesting that his status as an everyday player for the Cubs is on shaky ground. Though he hasn't been a complete zero for fantasy purposes with three home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games on the month, Morel has scored just five runs and hasn't stolen a base in August while batting a lowly .123. Rather than leaning on Morel as the Cubs' primary designated hitter, manager David Ross could consider rotating a number of position players at that lineup spot.