MLB Player News

Ohtani (1-0) earned the win over Seattle on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and four walks while striking out eight batters over six innings. At the plate, he went 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI.

Ohtani struggled early in the contest, walking the first two batters he faced before giving up a run-scoring single. He managed to get out of the first inning having allowed just that one run, and although Ohtani yielded five more baserunners in the subsequent two frames, Seattle was unable to score again while he was in the game. The two-way star clearly didn't have his best control Wednesday -- he issued four walks in total and also hit two batters in addition to uncorking a wild pitch -- so it's impressive that he was able to manage both a quality start and a win. Ohtani has impressed as both a pitcher and a hitter this season, allowing just one run and posting an 18:7 K:BB over 12 innings from the mound and posting a .286/.400/.571 slash line with two homers at the plate.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

The veteran outfielder has had a bit of a slow start at the plate to begin his second tour of duty with the Pirates, going 4-for-15 (.267) through six games with his only extra-base hit being a double, but he's drawn seven walks and stole his first base of the year Wednesday. McCutchen hasn't swiped double-digit bags since 2018, but the 36-year-old still boasted a sprint speed in the 90th percentile last year according to Statcast. If he keeps getting on base at a good clip, he could be one of the players who benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game.

Soler went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Twins.

After taking Pablo Lopez deep for a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring, Soler emphatically ended it with a three-run blast off Caleb Thielbar in the eighth with a line drive down the left-field line. The 31-year-old slugger had only 13 homers in 72 games last season, but Soler already has three in the first seven contests of 2023 along with three doubles, accounting for six of his seven hits.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters before Wednesday's game against the Giants that he's hopeful Jimenez (hamstring) will miss only two weeks, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Jimenez strained his left hamstring going from first to third Monday, and he was placed on the injured list Wednesday. There's a chance that the injury could keep him out longer than those two weeks, but it appears the tentative timetable has the 26-year-old returning before the end of April.

Miller will take a seat Wednesday as the Rangers wrap up their series with the Orioles.

Miller will get a breather after he went 1-for-5 with a walk and a strikeout over the first two games of the series. Mitch Garver will draw the start at designated hitter and bat seventh versus Baltimore.

Choi will sit Wednesday versus the Red Sox.

Choi will get a breather after he started the first two games of the series in Boston, going 1-for-7 with a run scored and two strikeouts in those contests. Andrew McCutchen will take over as the designated hitter while Jack Suwinski starts in right field and bats sixth in the series finale.

Harper (elbow) took batting practice on the field before Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's a positive step for Harper as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery he underwent in November. Matt Gelb of The Athletic cautions that Harper still has several hurdles to clear before being deemed ready for game action, as he has yet to be cleared to slide into bases since doctors believe there's still some risk of him rupturing the surgically-repaired elbow. Harper could be back from the 10-day injured list as soon as the latter part of May, as the Phillies' decision not to put him on the 60-day IL to begin the season had already implied.

Cabrera will sit Wednesday versus the Astros.

As expected, Cabrera will retreat to the bench Wednesday after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Tuesday's victory. Kerry Carpenter will take over at designated hitter while Matt Vierling enters the lineup in right field and bats third in the series finale.

The White Sox placed Jimenez on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a low-grade left hamstring strain. He's expected to miss 2-to-3 weeks, according to James Fegan of The Athletic.

Jimenez picked up the injury late in Monday's 12-3 loss to the Giants. The hamstring strain is the latest in a growing list of injuries that have derailed the 26-year-old thus far in his young career, but based on Fegan's report, Jimenez doesn't look as though he'll be headed for an extended absence. Chicago recalled infielder Jake Burger from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move, but Gavin Sheets is the most likely player to benefit from a playing-time perspective while Jimenez is out of the lineup.

Stanton is not in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Phillies, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Stanton will get a day off after he started each of New York's first five games of the campaign, going 4-for-20 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored over those contests. The 33-year-old has been making sound contact at the plate this season, producing an average exit velocity of 95.0 mph, ranking him third in the majors behind Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez. In his place Wednesday, Gleyber Torres will take over at designated hitter while Josh Donaldson starts at third base after some shuffling and bats fifth versus Philadelphia.