MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday that Ohtani will serve as the designated hitter when he starts on the mound Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

There have been some starts this season in which Ohtani has focused solely on pitching while taking a break from the batter's box, but that won't be the case Wednesday against Arizona. Ohtani has earned the win in each of his last three outings and came away with the quality start in this past Wednesday's appearance against the Rockies. At the dish, he has reached base safely in each of his last 16 games, going 24-for-61 (.393) with one steal, four home runs and 15 RBI in that span.

The Diamondbacks reinstated Smith (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Monday.

Smith has been cleared to rejoin the Diamondbacks ahead of their seven-game homestand after he went 7-for-21 with a double and a 1:5 BB:K during a five-game minor-league rehab assignment last week. The 30-year-old played in just two contests for Arizona before landing on the IL on March 30 due to left elbow inflammation caused by bone chips, which he had removed via surgery April 16. Smith is expected to reclaim a regular spot in the Arizona lineup versus right-handed pitching, displacing either Adrian Del Castillo at designated hitter or Ildemaro Vargas at first base.

Yoshida went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 9-4 win over Cleveland.

Yoshida's two run-single during a six-run seventh inning gave Boston a lead it never relinquished. The go-ahead hit atoned for a fourth-inning miscue, when he lost sight of a fly ball in left field that led to the Guardians taking a lead. Yoshida is getting regular work with Roman Anthony's rehab from a finger injury taking longer than originally anticipated. The outfield/DH logjam that had limited Yoshida's playing time earlier in the season has cleared up for the time being.

Schmitt went 3-for-6 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 19-6 victory over the Rockies.

Schmitt didn't show off any extra-base power but was still a positive contributor in the blowout win. In what has been a breakout season to date, the 27-year-old has now recorded three-plus hits in five contests and driven in multiple runs eight times in 2026. Overall, he's hitting .294/.332/.548 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, a triple, 33 RBI, 27 runs and five stolen bases across 51 games.

Eldridge went 4-for-6 with a solo homer, two doubles and three additional runs scored in Sunday's 19-6 win over the Rockies.

Eldridge got in on the offensive onslaught, tallying a career-high four hits and blasting a 453-foot solo homer in the sixth inning, his second long ball of the campaign. The 21-year-old entered Sunday's contest hitting .192 with a .622 OPS, but those marks now sit at .241 and .776 across 67 plate appearances after his big performance. With Casey Schmitt seeing more action in left field of late, Eldridge has found himself in the lineup more regularly, starting at designated hitter in six straight games.

Rooker went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's 13-8 loss against the Yankees.

Rooker did his damage with the Athletics trailing by a large margin, launching a 108.6 mph solo homer in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 13-4. The 31-year-old has struggled to find his footing in 2026 and entered Sunday's contest in a notable slump, going 1-for-21 (.048) across his previous six contests. Overall, Rooker is slashing .194/.278/.368 with eight homers, 26 RBI, 15 runs and two stolen bases across 41 games this season.

Canzone went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks.

Canzone restored a one-run lead for the Mariners in the bottom of the sixth inning. He has gone deep in three of his last four games and has a total of six extra-base hits over his last eight contests. For the season, he's batting .250 with an .826 OPS, seven homers, 23 RBI, 18 runs scored, 10 doubles and a stolen base across 141 plate appearances in a strong-side platoon role.

Suarez went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 6-4 win over Atlanta.

Suarez drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning before launching a solo shot in the seventh. It was his first homer since returning from the injured list May 23, as he entered the contest mired in a 4-for-22 slump over seven games during that span. For the year, the slugger is slashing .224/.300/.371 with four long balls, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored across just 130 plate appearances.

Ballesteros is not in the starting lineup Sunday night versus St. Louis.

Ballesteros will head to the bench as Chicago squares off with southpaw Matthew Liberatore in the series finale. Kevin Alcantara will draw his first start since being called up from Triple-A Iowa on May 23, batting eighth while handling the designated hitter role.

Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

The Diamondbacks are giving Ketel Marte a day off from playing second base but keeping his bat in the lineup at designated hitter, so Del Castillo will be the odd man out of the starting nine as a result. Del Castillo had served as Arizona's designated hitter for the past five games, going 4-for-14 with a home run, two walks, three RBI and an additional run during that stretch. The 26-year-old could soon be at risk of losing hold of his strong-side platoon role, however; Pavin Smith (elbow) is in the midst of a rehab assignment and could take over as the Diamondbacks' primary DH if he's activated from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week.