MLB Player News

Chapman (hand) will take grounders at third base Monday and hit on the field Wednesday in San Diego, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Chapman has been sidelined since Wednesday with right hand inflammation, but he's now quickly set to begin building back up. The third baseman is eligible to return from the 10-day injured list Saturday, and it's possible he'll be able to do so if his fielding and hitting work goes well in the coming days.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani will make his next start as a pitcher Wednesday versus the Rockies at Coors Field and will be targeted for five innings, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Through his first nine starts as a pitcher coming back from September 2023 Tommy John surgery, Ohtani has turned in a stellar 3.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB across 23.1 innings, but because he hasn't worked at least five frames in any outing, he has yet to qualify for a win. Assuming he's able to avoid a blowup at Coors Field and reaches the five-inning benchmark, Ohtani should have a good chance at coming away with his first win of the season if he's able to exit the game with the Dodgers in the lead. Ohtani will continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter Wednesday, though Roberts is contemplating giving the two-way superstar a breather for a day game in Thursday's series finale.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

With Atlanta reopening a regular spot in the lineup for Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter over the last couple of weeks, Murphy has faded into more of a timeshare at catcher with Drake Baldwin. The right-handed-hitting Murphy should see the bulk of the starts versus left-handed pitching, but the lefty-hitting Baldwin will likely be Atlanta's top choice to start against righties.

Stephenson (thumb) isn't listed in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

Stephenson is still being slowed by a sore left thumb, opening up another opportunity for Jose Trevino behind the dish. Stephenson can continue to be considered day-to-day until the team provides another update.

Schmitt (forearm) is starting at third base and batting in the cleanup spot against the Padres on Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Schmitt was held out of the Giants' lineup for the past two games due to a right forearm contusion, but he has been cleared to return to action for Monday's series opener. The 26-year-old infielder has a .709 OPS with four doubles, three home runs and eight RBI in 82 plate appearances since the All-Star break.

Bader is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.

Bader will return to the bench after he went a collective 2-for-10 with a walk and an RBI while starting in the final three games of the Phillies' weekend series in Washington. Two of those starts came against lefties, but Bader's playing time will likely be more inconsistent when the Phillies face right-handed pitching. Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos remains the Phillies' preferred outfield trio versus righties.

Merrill (ankle) is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Giants on Monday.

Merrill was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Dodgers after aggravating a left ankle injury that he suffered Friday. He's considered day-to-day for the time being, so he could return to the lineup at some point during the four-game series with San Francisco. Bryce Johnson will start at center field and bat ninth in Merrill's absence.

Edwards is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

The Marlins haven't indicated that Edwards is dealing with an injury, so his absence from the lineup is likely just a planned rest day. The newly recalled Maximo Acosta will fill in at second base in place of Edwards, who started every game dating back to July 1 while slashing .331/.364/.461 with two home runs, nine stolen bases, 31 runs and 15 RBI over that 42-game stretch.

Little allowed an unearned run on a hit and two walks across two innings of relief in a 7-0 loss to the Brewers in the first game of Monday's doubleheader. He struck out four.

Making his first appearance in the majors since April 16, Little held his own and exhibited good swing-and-miss stuff. The big southpaw has struggled with command during his time with the Cubs, but if he can find the strike zone more consistently, he could emerge as a useful reliever due to his hard fastball from the left side. For now, Little figures to work in a low-leverage role while he's at the MLB level.

Andujar is not in the Reds' starting lineup against the Angels on Monday.

Andujar saw his eight-game hitting streak come to a halt against the Brewers on Sunday, when he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He has hit well since the All-Star break, posting a 1.060 OPS with 11 runs, six homers and 16 RBI in 77 plate appearances over that span. Andujar will begin Monday's game on the bench while Gavin Lux serves as the designated hitter and Matt McLain starts at second base.