MLB Player News

Ohtani will serve as the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Friday's game in Baltimore.

Ohtani was scratched from his previously scheduled start Wednesday against the Pirates due to an illness, and manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that the 31-year-old would rejoin the rotation Monday versus the Rockies. However, Ohtani has been moved up to Friday instead, and he'll also continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter and leadoff batter. Tyler Glasnow had been slated to start Friday's series opener, but he'll presumably now take the ball Saturday instead after being scratched.

Yelich (back) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

Yelich's back flared up before Wednesday's game against Philadelphia, and he'll be out of the lineup Friday for a third straight game due to the issue. Expect Milwaukee to take it day-by-day with the 33-year-old outfielder, but considering Yelich's history of back injuries, the Brewers likely won't rush him back. Jake Bauers will fill the DH spot Friday while Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick fill the outfield from left to right.

Manzardo went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. He was also hit by a pitch.

Jose Ramirez and Manzardo belted back-to-back home runs to lead off the ninth inning, but that's where the Guardians' comeback stalled. The homer was Manzardo's 25th of the season and fourth in the last seven games. Earlier in the year, the lefty-hitting Manzardo started against right-handers only, but now manager Stephen Vogt is using him against lefties, too. Manzardo started the last three times the Guardians faced a southpaw starter as the club still has postseason hopes.

Larnach went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.

Larnach's steal was his first since May 28 versus the Rays, and it was his first attempt since he was caught in a July 4. While he won't light things up on the basepaths, the 28-year-old has swung a hot bat lately. He is 13-for-24 (.542) over his last six games, logging five multi-hit efforts in that span. Overall, Larnach is up to a .258/.330/.415 slash line with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 56 runs scored, three steals, 20 doubles and one triple over a career-high 125 games this season.

Alvarez went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees.

Alvarez has pummeled Yankees pitching over the last two games, going 8-for-10 with three extra-base hits and three RBI in that span. The slugger struggled to find his timing right after being activated from the injured list after a lengthy absence due to a hand injury, but he's bounced back quickly with four multi-hit efforts over his last five games. He's now batting .273 with an .811 OPS, five homers, 25 RBI, 14 runs scored and one stolen base across 158 plate appearances this season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Ohtani's (illness) next start as a pitcher will come Monday at home against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was scratched from a scheduled outing Wednesday in Pittsburgh because he was under the weather, and he won't return to the bump until Monday. The 31-year-old will continue to hit until then, as he is in his usual designated hitter and leadoff spots for Thursday's contest against the Pirates.

Trout (skin infection) will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and bat second against the Royals on Thursday, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

After missing two games while recovering from a skin infection, Trout will rejoin the starting nine Thursday with left-hander Noah Cameron on the bump for Kansas City. Trout has been stuck in a bit of a slump recently, slashing just .162/.244/.216 with 18 strikeouts over his last 10 games.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in a loss to Houston.

Stanton kicked off the scoring in the contest with a solo blast to left field in the second inning. The veteran slugger had been in a brief slump coming into the game, going 0-for-14 with six strikeouts over his previous five games. However, he's having a resurgent campaign overall with 18 home runs and 47 RBI through 57 contests. His .984 OPS is on pace to be his highest mark since 2017.

Springer went 2-for-4 with two walks, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Reds.

It was another dazzling performance from the 35-year-old, who has been one of the hottest hitters in the majors since returning from a concussion Aug. 16. Springer has seven multi-hit efforts in his last 11 games, slashing an eye-popping .432/.528/.886 over that stretch with six homers, 10 RBI and 18 runs, and the surge has carried him to a .956 OPS on the season -- third in MLB behind MVP contenders Aaron Judge (1.106) and Shohei Ohtani (.998).

Diaz went 5-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.

The veteran infielder set a new career high with five hits, continuing a scorching run at the plate, as the 34-year-old has gone 28-for-70 (.400) since Aug 11. Wednesday's career-best effort also helped boost Diaz's season slash line to .294/.353/.479 with 22 home runs, 76 RBI and 68 runs scored across 569 plate appearances, as he closes in on career high totals in both homers and RBI.