MLB Player News

Mercedes will not start Thursday's game against the Twins.

Mercedes has now been on the bench five times in Chicago's last eight games. Jose Abreu will rest his legs as the designated hitter in his absence.

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Royals.

He got the Red Sox on the board with a three-run blast in the third inning off Mike Minor, giving his squad a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Martinez's production took a step backwards in June, and the veteran slugger slashed .253/.303/.485 with four of his 16 homers on the year.

Harper went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 11-6 loss to the Marlins.

He took Jordan Holloway deep in the second inning to get the Phillies on the board, then launched a shot off Anthony Bass in the seventh that capped his team's scoring. Harper wrapped a solid June with a .278/.366/.556 slash line and six of his 13 homers on the year.

Ohtani retired only two batters in Wednesday's start against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on two hits and four walks while striking out one. He did not factor in the decision.

Ohtani was clearly off his game in the ugly outing, as he threw only 20 of 41 pitches for strikes and issued four free passes while getting only two outs. He also hit a batter and surrendered two singles. The early exit cost Ohtani the chance to make an impact at the plate, as he was forced out of the lineup after only one at-bat. Remarkably, the seven-run implosion didn't result in a loss for the right-hander, as the Angels posted seven runs in the ninth inning to complete a comeback win. Ohtani's ERA jumped over a run from 2.58 to 3.60 as a result of the poor start, and he now holds a troubling 5.2 BB/9 on the campaign. He's been able to navigate around control issues thanks in part to a 12.4 K/9, and prior to Wednesday he hadn't walked more than two batters in any of his previous four contests. Ohtani will try to bounce back from the rough appearance in his next start, which lines up to come at home versus Boston early next week.

Canha doesn't have any structural damage in his left hip and received PRP injections to both hips Wednesday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 32-year-old had surgery on his left hip back in 2016, so it's good news he's dealing with tendinitis and not any structural problems. Canha will likely take it easy for a few days after receiving the injections, and a return timeline should come into focus once he's cleared to resume workouts.

Ohtani is leading off as the starting pitcher Wednesday against the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will hit again as the starting pitcher, this time as the leadoff hitter. Ohtani blasted two homers in Tuesday's loss and has four total homers across his last three games.

Miller will start at first base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Marlins.

Miller will fill in for a resting Rhys Hoskins on Wednesday, but the former looks like he'll be in store for only a handful of starts per week now that the Phillies are close to full strength in the infield and outfield following Jean Segura's return from the injured list earlier this week. Didi Gregorius (elbow) recently resumed a rehab assignment and could also be activated in the coming days, with his eventual return closing off another potential avenue for Miller to pick up at-bats.

Martinez went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, four RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Martinez could not be fooled at the plate Tuesday as he notched his third four-RBI game of the year. The 33-year-old drove in his first two runs on a single and sacrifice fly and gave the Red Sox the lead for good on a two-run double in the sixth to put them up 7-6. He also walked twice and scored while raising his slash line to .302/.366/.542 with 37 extra-base hits, 51 RBI, 53 runs scored and a 30:73 BB:K over 322 plate appearances. Martinez appears to have returned to his old form in 2021 after struggling at the plate during the shortened season last year.

Pederson went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Brewers.

The outfielder got the job done from the leadoff spot, but the rest of the Cubs' lineup wasn't able to take advantage. Pederson has only two steals on the season, but both have come in the last five games, part of a productive June that has seen him slug seven homers with 13 runs and 16 RBI through 25 games despite a lackluster .221/.277/.523 slash line.

Blackmon went 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs in Tuesday's 8-0 win over the Pirates.

The veteran outfielder finished with his fifth three-hit game of the campaign and first since June 3. His infield single in the fifth inning knocked in the Rockies' fourth run and accounted for his 38th RBI of the campaign. Blackmon is slashing a modest .264/.366/.378 overall, though his 0.89 BB/K is the highest of his career.