MLB Player News

Ohtani (14-8) gave up two earned runs on three hits and six walks while striking out seven over five-plus innings to earn the win in a 4-2 victory over the Twins on Friday.

Ohtani's stuff looked crisp, and he racked up seven strikeouts on 12 swinging strikes en route to his 14th win the season. The major blemish on his line comes from the six free passes that he issued. Ohtani had not previously walked more than four batters in a game all season. The control problems could possibly be attributed to heavy rain that affected the playing field all night. Ohtani also appeared to have caught Gary Sanchez looking on a 3-2 pitch in the sixth, but home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt didn't ring the batter up. Ohtani will carry his excellent ERA of 2.47 into his next start, which is expected to come against the Rangers.

Vogelbach will be on the bench Friday against the Athletics, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Vogelbach hasn't started a single game against a southpaw since his move to New York, and that won't change here against Cole Irvin. Righty Mark Vientos will serve as the designated hitter.

Buxton (hip) will undergo season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton has been on the injured list with a low-grade right hip strain for a month and was initially expected to return prior to the end of the season. The 28-year-old likely would have returned if the Twins were in the playoff picture, but he'll instead undergo a season-ending knee procedure now that the team has been eliminated. Buxton's surgery has been described as insignificant by the Twins, and he should be ready to return in time for spring training in 2023.

Pederson isn't starting Friday against the Diamondbacks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pederson will get a breather since southpaw Tommy Henry is on the mound for Arizona on Friday. Luis Gonzalez is taking over in left field and batting ninth.

Morel isn't starting Friday against the Pirates.

Morel is getting a breather after he went 1-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a run, two walks and three strikeouts over the last two games. David Bote will start at the hot corner and bat third.

Reyes is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Pirates.

Reyes will get a breather after he started the last two games, going 1-for-6 with four strikeouts. Jared Young will take over at designated hitter and bat eighth versus Pittsburgh.

Stanton went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Red Sox.

Stanton smashed a homer off righty starter Michael Wacha with nobody out in the sixth inning to augment the Yankees' lead to 3-0. In his five games prior to this contest, the outfielder struggled, going 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts; however, the 32-year-old has now gone 4-for-10 in his last three games with two homers and six RBI.

Pederson went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Rockies.

Pederson has enjoyed the Giants' four-game set in Colorado -- he's started in three of the games and gone 6-for-14 with three RBI. The outfielder has gone 0-for-9 across his previous four games before this road trip. He's up to a .268/.343/.504 slash line with 22 home runs, 66 RBI, 50 runs scored and three stolen bases through 402 plate appearances this season, primarily playing versus right-handed pitchers.

Morel went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

Morel batted ninth but still delivered a big hit, driving in two on his second-inning double, helping the Cubs to a 3-2 victory. The rookie continues to produce solid stats, as he now has a .738 OPS and 41 RBI across 103 games to go along with 14 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Morel could be in for a breakout 2023 campaign if he's able to limit strikeouts and make more consistent contact, as he came into Thursday striking out 32.5 percent of the time this year.

Ramirez isn't starting Thursday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Ramirez started the last five games and went 4-for-20 with two doubles and five strikeouts. Ji-Man Choi will take over at first base and bat eighth Thursday.