MLB Player News
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Strong on mound, homers at plate
Ohtani allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over three innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Monday. He also went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run as a batter in the contest.
Ohtani completed three innings on the mound as originally scheduled, and he helped himself out with early run support by going yard in the bottom of the first inning after allowing a leadoff blast to Byron Buxton in the top of the frame. While Ohtani gave up a run for the first time since his season debut June 16 versus the Padres, this was another positive outing for the two-way superstar, who has a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB over 12 innings through six starts. He stretched out to 46 pitches (30 strikes) Monday, up from 36 pitches in his previous start July 12. He's also up to 35 homers, 67 RBI, 94 runs scored, 13 stolen bases and a .275/.379/.614 slash line over 99 contests as a batter. The Dodgers have not yet announced when Ohtani's next start will be, but it is expected to be on the road, either at Boston this weekend or in Cincinnati early next week.
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Josh Bell DH | WAS
Nationals' Josh Bell: Slugs first July homer
Bell went 2-for-5 with a walk, double and a solo home run during Monday's 10-8 win over the Reds.
Bell went deep for the first time in July, and 12th time this season, to start a three-run third inning for the Nationals. Combined with his double, it's the sixth time that the 32-year-old has had multiple hits in a game this July, despite not having a home run. Regardless, it's been a great slashing month for the slugger so far, featuring season-high's across the board of .356/.442/.444 to go along with five doubles and six RBI.
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Christian Yelich DH | MIL
Brewers' Christian Yelich: Picks up steal in win
Yelich went 2-for-4 with one RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 6-0 win over the Mariners.
Yelich has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, going 10-for-37 (.270) with two home runs and three steals in that span. The 33-year-old doesn't run as much as he used to, but he's still managed to log 15 thefts over 94 contests this season. He's added a .261/.338/.452 slash line, 19 homers, 66 RBI and 51 runs scored through 399 plate appearances.
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Kyle Manzardo DH | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Homers in win
Manzardo went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Monday's 10-5 win over the Orioles.
Manzardo gave the Guardians a 6-5 lead they wouldn't relinquish with a solo homer in the sixth inning before being pinch hit for in the seventh to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup. The 25-year-old appears to be heating up, having homered three times while collecting hits in four of his past five games. For the year, he's slashing .219/.295/.453 with 16 long balls, 38 RBI, 28 runs scored and one steal across 308 plate appearances.
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Adrian Del Castillo DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo: Exiting lineup Monday
Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
After getting recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday, Del Castillo started at designated hitter in each of the Diamondbacks' first three games out of the All-Star break, going 5-for-12 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Though he'll check out of the starting nine in Monday's series opener, Del Castillo could hold down a regular spot in the lineup against right-handed pitching until Pavin Smith (oblique) returns from the injured list.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Takes another step forward
Alvarez (hand) was cleared to begin hitting off slow toss Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez was given the green light to resume swinging a bat Friday and took another step in the right direction Monday by swinging against slow toss. He's expected to take some cuts again Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The team has yet to provide an exact timetable for Alvarez's return, but it seems the slugger will continue to make his way through a hitting progression and could return at some point during the current road trip in the DH slot if all goes according to plan.
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Jorge Soler RF | LAA
Angels' Jorge Soler: Resting Monday
Soler is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Soler will get his second day off in the Angels' first four games of the second half after he went 3-for-8 with a solo home run and two walks during the team's three-game series in Philadelphia over the weekend. LaMonte Wade will cover right field in Soler's stead.
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Anthony Santander DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander: Weeks away from swinging
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Santander (shoulder) isn't expected to resume swinging a bat for at least a couple more weeks, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Schneider noted that he's hopeful Santander will play again this season, but the 30-year-old clearly hasn't progressed as well as the Blue Jays had hoped since he was placed on the injured list May 30 due to left shoulder inflammation. Even if Santander is cleared to ramp up his hitting progression within the next few weeks, he's still likely to require an extended minor-league rehab assignment after that. With that in mind, a mid-to-late-August return may represent a best-case scenario for Santander, and the uncertainty of his timeline makes him difficult to warrant stashing in most redraft leagues that have limited injured reserve spots.
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Starling Marte DH | NYM
Mets' Starling Marte: Expected back this week
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that he expects Marte (knee) to be activated from the 10-day injured list later this week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Marte will need a few more days to recover from a right knee bruise, but he will bypass a rehab assignment and appears likely to be back when the Mets begin a road trip this weekend. Upon his return, Marte will see some playing time in the designated hitter slot, with perhaps most of it coming against left-handed pitching.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Out against right-hander
Rice is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Toronto.
Rice had started each of the last four games against right-handed pitching, but he'll begin Monday's contest on the bench as the Blue Jays send righty Kevin Gausman to the hill. The Yankees will go with Paul Goldschmidt at first base, Austin Wells at catcher and Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter.