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.

The Dodgers scratched Glasnow from his scheduled start Friday in Baltimore for undisclosed reasons, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts will likely shed more light on the matter later Friday, but for now, Glasnow looks like he'll have his turn in the rotation skipped. The Dodgers will instead go with Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the series opener. Glasnow has struggled with control in his last two starts, throwing 112 of 183 pitches for strikes while issuing four walks and hitting a batter.

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.

Weathers (lat) struck out three and scattered five hits and one walk over 4.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Jacksonville.

Making his second rehab appearance for Jacksonville, Weathers built up to 68 pitches after tossing 60 in his previous outing last Saturday. He fired 44 of his pitches for strikes and induced swings and misses on 12 of those offerings. The Marlins have yet to reveal the next step for Weathers, but the southpaw could be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to make a start during next week's series with the Nationals, which would mark his first appearance at the big-league level since June 7. If Weathers is activated during the upcoming week, he would likely be operating with a light workload restriction in his first start back from the IL.

The Cardinals optioned Prieto to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Prieto went 1-for-6 with five strikeouts during his first cup of coffee in the majors. He could get another opportunity before the end of this month but will head back to Memphis for now.

The Cardinals activated Pozo (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Pozo missed the past week of action after experiencing concussion symptoms following a foul tip to his catcher's mask. He's bypassing a rehab assignment and going directly back onto the active roster. Pozo has some limited experience at first base and could see playing time there while Willson Contreras serves a four-game suspension.

Junk (elbow) struck out eight and allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks over five innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Jacksonville.

Back on the mound for the first time since landing on the injured list Aug. 27 due to right ulnar nerve irritation, Junk tossed 61 pitches and performed about as well as Miami could have hoped during the Triple-A outing. Assuming he bounces back well from his between-starts bullpen session, Junk could be cleared to return from the IL for Sunday's game versus the Phillies or for Monday's series opener versus the Nationals.

Bellozo is slated to start Friday's game against the Phillies, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Bellozo opened the season as a starter for Miami, but despite turning in a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings over his first five outings, he was dispatched to the bullpen in mid-May. With injuries having piled up in the Miami rotation of late, Bellozo will now get the chance to pick up his sixth start of the season, but he could be headed back to a relief role after Friday's contest. In his most recent appearance this part Friday against the Mets, Bellozo tossed 4.1 innings and 65 pitches out of the bullpen, so he should be able to provide the Marlins with a decent amount of length in his first start since May 13.

Acuna is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners.

Acuna is out of the lineup for the first time since being activated from the 10-day injured list Aug. 15. His absence comes in the middle of an 0-for-20 stretch at the plate, during which Acuna is also striking out at a 38.1 percent clip. In Acuna's place, Jake Fraley will patrol right field.

Ortiz is slashing .340/.443/.515 with three home runs, seven steals, a 13.9 percent walk rate and a 23 percent strikeout rate in 28 games for High-A Peoria.

Ortiz, who has split time between third base and first base for Peoria, was promoted to the Midwest League on July 29 after slashing .285/.406/.446 with 10 home runs, 31 steals and a 27.5 percent strikeout rate in 77 games for Single-A Palm Beach. A 16th-round pick in 2024 out of community college, Ortiz is benefitting from a .444 BABIP at High-A, but he also has a 27 percent line drive rate and a 44.6 percent flyball rate, so his batted-ball profile is ideal. Despite his stolen base totals, the righty-hitting Ortiz is listed at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds and grades as a below-average runner, so it will need to be his bat that carries him.