MLB Player News

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-2 win against Kansas City.

Ohtani gave the Angels their first lead of the game with a fifth-inning two-run shot that was immediately followed by a Mike Trout blast. Ohtani has been on quite a power surge of late, homering in four of his past five contests and belting eight long balls across his past 10 games. He's in the midst of an MLB-best 15-game hitting streak, slashing .446/.543/.1.071 with nine homers, 20 RBI, 16 runs and three steals over that span. The two-way star leads the majors with 24 home runs on the season.

The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He'll move back to the minors to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for outfielder Lars Nootbaar (back), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Following his promotion from Memphis on June 4, Baker started at designated hitter in his first two games with the Cardinals, but he cracked the lineup just once in the team's subsequent 11 contests. He'll get the chance to play on a regular basis in his return to Triple-A.

Blackmon (hand) believes he could be back sooner than his initially projected mid- to late-July return date, MLB.com reports.

Blackmon -- who went on the injured list a week ago with a fractured right hand -- has experienced improvement following treatment and the use of a bone stimulator to the point that he thinks he might beat his timetable. Injury optimism from players is not uncommon, especially early on in the recovery, but it's certainly a good sign that he's feeling better.

Morel went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Orioles.

Following a slump in late May and early June, Morel has gotten hot over his past eight contests with four home runs, 13 RBI and three multi-hit performances. The 23-year-old has a .291/.342/.700 slash line with 13 home runs, 28 RBI and 26 runs in just 31 games this year.

Harper is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Oakland.

Harper has four multi-hit efforts in the past seven games but will take a seat for the first time in June. The 30-year-old has an .812 OPS through 40 games this season but has just three homers, and it's been 92 plate appearances since he last went deep May 25 in Atlanta. Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter Sunday while Cristian Pache starts in left field.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

McCutchen has a .211/.415/.289 slash line through 38 at-bats in June and will head to the bench Sunday after starting the previous four games. Bryan Reynolds will rest his legs as the designated hitter while Josh Palacios receives a start in the outfield.

Soler is starting in right field and batting second Sunday against the Nationals.

Soler has hits in six of his past seven games and has a 1.688 OPS with three home runs during that span, and he'll attempt to continue his hot streak Sunday in Washington. Jesus Sanchez will receive the day off while Garrett Cooper serves as the designated hitter.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

The 30-year-old started the past two games after taking a week off to work on his swing, and he'll take a seat Sunday with lefty Matthew Liberatore on the mound for St. Louis. Vogelbach went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and a walk during the pair of starts, and he should get regular chances against right-handed pitching going forward since Mark Vientos was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Tommy Pham is batting fifth as the designated hitter Sunday.

Vientos was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The 23-year-old appeared in just two of the Mets' past six games and will now head back to Triple-A with Pete Alonso (wrist) making his return from the injured list. Vientos played in just 16 games during his month-long stint in the majors and had a .178/.224/.244 slash line in 49 plate appearances. He'll attempt to get back on track with Syracuse, where he had a 1.104 OPS prior to his promotion.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Buxton is 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts in three games since he returned from the injured list Thursday, so he'll receive a breather for the series finale versus Detroit. Edouard Julien will serve as the designated hitter while Kyle Farmer receives the start at second base Sunday.