MLB Player News

Ohtani will bat second in Wednesday's game against the Giants, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani is serving as the starting pitcher in Wednesday's matchup, and the Angels will forgo the designated hitter, even with Justin Upton (back) out of the lineup. The two-way player has been hot at the plate recently, as he's hit .280 with six home runs, nine RBI, six runs, a stolen base and five walks across his last seven games as a hitter.

Vogelbach (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Vogelbach exited Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks with a hamstring strain, and manager Craig Counsell called the injury "significant." Keston Hiura was recalled by Milwaukee in a corresponding move and should serve as the primary first baseman in Vogelbach's absence. A better idea of the 28-year-old's return timetable could be known once the results of his MRI are revealed.

Canha went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Tuesday's 13-6 win over the Rangers.

Canha was a big contributor in Oakland's breakout as the only player to reach base four times. He singled in the third frame to knock in a pair of runs. In addition, he tripled to lead off the second inning. The 32-year-old is slashing .257/.379/.455 with a team-leading 55 runs and has seven hits over his last five games.

Miller will start at second base and bat fifth Wednesday against the Nationals.

For the second game in a row, Miller will draw the start at second base against a right-handed starting pitcher (Erick Fedde). Miller's usage would seem to signal that he's the Phillies' preferred option at the keystone versus right-handed pitching, leaving the righty-hitting Luke Williams in line to handle a short-side platoon role at the position.

McCutchen isn't starting Wednesday against the Nationals.

McCutchen will get a rare day off after he went 0-for-6 with a walk and a strikeout across the last two games. Travis Jankowski will take over in left field and bat seventh.

Mercedes remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

With no designated hitter available in Pittsburgh, Mercedes will remain on the bench for a second straight day. After a blazing first two months of the season, regression has come hard for Mercedes in June. Through 15 games this month, Mercedes is slashing .132/.179/.151 while striking out in a quarter of his plate appearances.

Cabrera (calf) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

The Tigers are concluding their series with St. Louis with a day game after a night game, so Cabrera's absence comes as no surprise after he exited Tuesday's 8-2 win with right calf tightness. Detroit is labeling Cabrera's injury as a day-to-day concern, so he could be ready to play in Thursday's series opener against Houston. Eric Haase will step in as the designated hitter in place of Cabrera on Wednesday.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks that Vogelbach will miss time after sustaining a "significant" hamstring strain in the sixth inning, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Vogelbach, who went 1-for-3 in the contest, picked up the injury while rounding third base before scoring the Brewers' second run of the night. Daniel Robertson came on to replace Vogelbach in the bottom of the sixth, but the Brewers could call up Keston Hiura from Triple-A Nashville to step in as the team's primary first baseman while Vogelbach is on the shelf. Expect Milwaukee to officially announce Vogelbach's move to the injured list prior to the series finale in Arizona on Wednesday. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Vogelbach will also be sent in for an MRI on Wednesday, so the Brewers should have an idea regarding a recovery timeline once the results of his tests become available.

Martinez went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 9-5 extra-innings win over the Rays.

Martinez's two-run double in the third inning extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The slugger has an .818 OPS during the streak with six extra-base hits, seven RBI and eight runs scored. His .913 OPS in 2021 has allayed any concerns that may have surfaced following a sub-par 2020 when he posted a .680 OPS.

Ruf (hamstring) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Angels.

Ruf made his first appearance since May 26 after he missed nearly four weeks with a right hamstring strain. He hit third in the order Tuesday and served as the designated hitter with the Giants playing in an AL park. The 34-year-old is slashing .256/.375/.523 with six home runs, 15 RBI, 18 runs scored and a stolen base across 104 plate appearances. Ruf will likely be a depth option going forward, although he may see the short side of platoon in left field with Alex Dickerson or pick up time when Brandon Belt needs a day off at first base.