MLB Player News

Ford is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

The lefty-hitting Ford has served as Seattle's primary designated hitter since he was reacquired from the Giants last week, but he'll take a seat with southpaw Rich Hill on the mound for Boston. Ford is expected to lose out on steady at-bats against right-handers as soon as next week, when outfielder/DH Kyle Lewis (knee) could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Canha went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

It's the second multi-hit performance for Canha in his last five starts as he builds momentum at the plate. The veteran outfielder is hitting .333 (6-for-18) during that stretch with three walks, two homers, five RBI and seven runs, pushing his slash line on the season up to .299/.384/.402.

Harper (elbow) remains on the bench Thursday against the Padres, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper has been limited to serving as the designated hitter for almost the entirety of the season after spraining his right UCL early in the year, though you wouldn't know he'd been playing hurt just by looking at his numbers; he's hitting .305/.361/.634 with nine homers and six steals on the year. He received a platelet-plasma injection over the weekend, however, which has kept him on the bench for now the fourth straight game. Reports from earlier in the week indicated he was targeting a Thursday return, so it's unclear if he's suffered a setback or if he'll need just one more day to recover.

Miller went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Miller launched his sixth homer of the season during the seventh inning to give Texas a lead that Matt Bush was unable to protect later in the game. His leadoff single to start the game for Texas snapped an 0-for-12 skid, as Miller continues to battle at the plate. He's batting just .213 (19-for-89) but has 18 RBI over 31 games, which ties him for second on the team.

Ohtani didn't factor into the decision during Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Texas, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings.

Ohtani navigated Texas' lineup successfully with the exception of Jonah Heim, who accounted for both runs surrendered with RBI in the fourth and sixth innings. The 27-year-old has delivered quality starts in three straight turns and has now permitted two runs or fewer in six of his seven starts. Ohtani lines up to take the hill again next week against Toronto.

Blackmon went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run Wednesday against the Giants.

Blackmon led off the bottom of the first inning with his sixth home run of the season. In five starts during the team's current homestand, Blackmon has gone 5-for-21 with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored. However, on the campaign, he has managed just a .312 wOBA and 88 wRC+ across 141 plate appearances.

Choi went 1-for-1 with an RBI after entering the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning Wednesday against the Tigers.

Choi didn't start the game with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound. However, he provided an insurance run for the Rays by driving in his 15th run of the campaign and fifth across his last five games. Overall, Choi has maintained a .279/.388/.441 line across 80 plate appearances this season.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

The veteran slugger went back-to-back with Austin Riley off Corbin Burnes in the third inning, staking Atlanta to an early 4-0 lead that the bullpen couldn't protect. Ozuna has gone yard three times in the last five games as part of a six-game hitting streak, and he's up to seven homers and 17 RBI through 38 games on the season.

Harper (elbow) isn't expected to be available to play right field until after the All-Star break after he was advised not to throw for six weeks upon receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right elbow Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The six-week rest period would come to an end in early July, but since Harper would still need additional time after that to build up his throwing distance, the Phillies are preparing for him to be a full-time designated hitter for the remainder of the first half of the season. Perhaps no player has benefited more from the implementation of the universal designated hitter in 2022 than Harper, who likely would have gone on the injured list weeks ago if not for being available in a non-defensive role. Playing through the UCL sprain in his elbow hasn't hindered him at the plate, as Harper has maintained a .995 OPS through 147 plate appearances on the season. As a result of the recent PRP injection, Harper is still experiencing enough pain that he'll be out of the lineup Wednesday against the Padres for the third consecutive game, but the Phillies anticipate that he'll be ready to handle DH duties by the weekend, if not Thursday's series finale with San Diego.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Soler isn't starting in Wednesday's game against the Nationals while he contends with lower-back stiffness, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Mattingly is hopeful that consecutive days out of the lineup coupled with Thursday's team off day will provide sufficient recovery time for Soler, who is expected to rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener in Atlanta. With Soler on the bench Wednesday, Brian Anderson will draw the start in left field.