MLB Player News

Morel is on the bench for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Cardinals.

Though Morel will likely play in the nightcap, he'll be on the bench for the third time in four games while the Cubs go with David Bote at second base and Rafael Ortega in center field for the afternoon contest. After he was dialed in at the plate to begin his MLB career, Morel has cooled down since the beginning of July and has gone 0-for-16 over his last five starts.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a stolen base in an 8-7 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

McCutchen ripped a pair of doubles out of the cleanup spot against his former team. He now has 19 doubles on the year and six over the last 15 days. McCutchen also picked up his eighth steal of the season by swiping third off Chase De Jong. The 35-year-old center fielder isn't elite in any category anymore, but he still combines a fair mix of pop and speed while hitting in the heart of the Brewers lineup.

Ohtani (forearm) said after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics that he expects to serve as the Angels' designated hitter in Thursday's series finale versus Oakland, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani made his 18th start of the season on the mound Wednesday and dropped to 9-7 after he was charged with three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven in 5.2 innings. Though he didn't appear to suffer an injury during his time on the mound, the two-way player was lifted for a pinch hitter when his turn in the lineup came up in the bottom of the seventh. The Angels characterized his injury as a "mild cramp in his forearm," per Nevin, but the issue isn't considered serious, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. Fantasy managers in leagues with daily lineup moves will likely still want to verify that Ohtani is in fact good to go when the Angels unveil their starting nine for Thursday's contest.

Vogelbach went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 9-5 victory over the Nationals.

Vogelbach's first home run for his new team turned out to be a grand slam that scored Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Pete Alonso. It came in the fifth inning and put the Mets up 6-0. It was home run No. 13 this season for the designated hitter and his first since July 10. In nine games since joining the Mets, Vogelbach is 8-for-21 with a .971 OPS.

Ohtani (9-7) took the loss Wednesday against the A's after giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk over 5.2 innings, and he was replaced by a pinch hitter during the seventh inning due to mild forearm cramps, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old had already been replaced on the mound when he exited, and it's unclear if the injury surfaced while pitching or hitting. Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a strikeout at the plate, and he's expected to be back in the lineup at designated hitter for Thursday's series finale versus Oakland, so it doesn't appear to be a serious injury.

Martinez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Though the Red Sox made Martinez available ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the team didn't find an offer it liked and will keep the 34-year-old in the fold for the remainder of the campaign. Though Martinez should continue to play on a near-everyday basis, he'll get a breather Wednesday while the Red Sox conclude their series in Houston with a day game after a night game. Rafael Devers will step in as Boston's designated hitter while Martinez sits after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's 2-1 win.

Buxton (undisclosed) is starting Wednesday against Detroit.

Buxton was on the bench for the last two games due to some apparent soreness, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and lead off Wednesday. Over his last five matchups, the 28-year-old has gone 5-for-18 with three home runs, a double, five runs, three RBI and a stolen base.

Beer isn't starting Wednesday against the Guardians.

Beer is getting a breather after he went 0-for-8 with three strikeouts over the last two games. Ketel Marte will serve as the designated hitter while Emmanuel Rivera starts at third base.

Cabrera isn't starting Wednesday against the Twins.

Eric Haase will step in as the designated hitter for the series finale while Cabrera gets the day off after he went 0-for-15 with a run, a walk and two strikeouts over the last four games. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, manager A.J. Hinch said Cabrera has been bothered by his right knee lately, and though the issue isn't serious enough to send the 39-year-old to the injured list, he'll likely be getting more frequent days off over the final two months of the season.

Meneses went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory over the Mets.

In his first career big-league game, Meneses launched a home run that helped seal a 5-1 win for the Nationals. The rookie spent a good chunk of his minor-league career in Atlanta's organization, but he'd toiled in the Phillies, Red Sox, and Nationals farm systems since 2018. He has shown the ability to hit for both power and average in the minors, batting .311 with 23 home runs in 2018 and .286 with 20 home runs this season, all at the Triple-A level. Perhaps his debut appearance with the Nationals is a sign of things to come for the 30-year-old rookie.