MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) hopes to begin throwing off a mound by early September, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani's current throwing program as he comes back from right UCL surgery has him playing catch from 150 feet three days per week at 85 percent intensity. He will progress to four days per week and then five before being cleared to throw off the mound. As long as all of those stages go off without a hitch, the hope is Ohtani will be able to face hitters either via live batting practice or a simulated game by October. He would then be shut down for a while before eventually ramping things back up in the offseason. Ohtani is aiming to be a two-way player again in 2025.

Woodford made appearances out of the Pittsburgh bullpen Sunday against the Diamondbacks and Tuesday against the Padres, giving up four earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings.

After calling Woodford up from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 30, the Pirates turned to the right-hander to make a spot start against the Astros a day later. He gave up three unearned runs over five innings in a no-decision versus Houston, but the outing wasn't enough for Woodford to stick around in the rotation. Woodford will likely be deployed in mop-up situations or lower-leverage spots out of the bullpen while he's with the Pirates.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Garrett (elbow) will rejoin the Mets in Seattle on Friday and should be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point during the weekend, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Though the Mets may not activate Garrett on Friday, he's on the cusp of returning to the New York bullpen. The 31-year-old righty has been on the shelf since July 10 due to elbow inflammation after giving up three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Thursday that Marquez will not return from the 15-day injured list this season after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Marquez made his way back from the IL shortly before the All-Star break after completing his recovery from May 2023 Tommy John surgery but lasted just one start before experiencing a setback with his surgically repaired elbow. The good news is that Marquez isn't dealing with any UCL damage, and the expectation is that he'll be ready to resume throwing in 6-to-8 weeks and have a normal offseason. Marquez is set to earn $10 million in 2025 in his final year under contract.

Yastrzemski went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI triple and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Nationals.

While not known to be particularly speedy -- he has just two stolen bases and ranks in the 43rd percentile for sprint speed, per Statcast -- Yastrzemski is up to nine triples this year. He's gone 13-for-43 (.302) with five extra-base hits, including a trio of three-baggers, over his last 13 games. For the season, the outfielder is slashing .248/.318/.446 with nine homers, 37 RBI, 37 runs scored and 10 doubles over 96 contests, playing primarily in a strong-side platoon role in right field.

The Pirates designated Olivares for assignment Thursday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Olivares was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis a month ago after producing a .624 OPS in 55 contests, and he didn't do much better in the International League with a .657 OPS in 15 games. Given his $1.35 million salary, the 28-year-old seems likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.

Ramos went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Nationals.

Ramos missed some time with a thumb injury early in August, but he's bounced back with homers in consecutive games since returning to the lineup. The outfielder's bat has cooled off slightly -- he's hitting .258 over 16 games since the All-Star break. For the season, he's at a .289/.345/.508 slash line with 17 homers, 55 RBI, 33 runs scored and three stolen bases over 76 contests.

The Pirates selected Heller's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Heller has been torched for 12 runs (11 earned) over just two innings in two appearances with the Pirates this season. He's put up great numbers this season at Indianapolis, however, with a 3.55 ERA and 55:13 K:BB in 33 frames. He'll get another chance with Pittsburgh in a middle-relief role.

The Pirates placed Holderman on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right wrist sprain, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It's unclear when Holderman was injured, but it perhaps at least partly explains a 16.62 ERA over his last five appearances. How long he might be sidelined isn't known at this point. Ben Heller was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Heller's spot in the Pittsburgh bullpen.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies.

The Dodgers went 3-for-13 as a team with runners in scoring position, but Freeman was 2-for-2, stroking a run-scoring single in the first inning and a two-run single in the second. It was the first baseman's third game back since missing eight contests to attend to a family matter, and he hasn't shown any rust since returning, going 4-for-12 with at least one hit in each game. While Freeman's season numbers (.287/.392/.491 slash line, 16 homers, five steals) are mostly down in comparison to last year, he's at 67 RBI through 464 plate appearances, giving him a reasonable shot to reach 100 RBI for the third consecutive campaign.