MLB Player News

Smith is leading off as the designated hitter Thursday versus the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

This is the first time in Smith's MLB career that he is hitting leadoff. He is taking over Shohei Ohtani's position and spot in the lineup Thursday while Dalton Rushing starts behind the plate. Smith has an underwhelming .229/.317/.371 slash line with two doubles and a homer through 10 games in May.

Ohtani is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

As expected, Ohtani is going a second consecutive game with the bat out of his hands after working exclusively as a pitcher in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Giants. The two-way superstar has not hit up to his standards so far into 2026 with a .797 OPS through 184 plate appearances, and a couple days off could help him to reset at the plate.

Betts is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Betts returned from a right oblique strain Monday, which was the first of a four-game series versus the Giants. Playing in the first three games of the series, the shortstop went 2-for-13 with his third home run of the season. Miguel Rojas is instead picking up a start at shortstop in the series finale.

Single-A Augusta placed Essenburg on its 7-day injured list April 14 due to an unspecified injury.

The 19-year-old outfielder saw action in eight games prior to landing on the shelf, hitting .207/.395/.414 with three extra-base hits and a stolen base across 38 plate appearances.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy indicated Thursday that a decision on whether to put Yelich (back) on the 10-day injured list will likely be made Friday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Yelich missed a second straight start Thursday against the Padres due to a back injury. He's got a long history of back problems, and the Brewers will see how he feels when he gets to the ballpark Friday before they make a decision on his status. If Yelich needs another IL stint -- he just returned from a groin injury Tuesday -- Andrew Vaughn would receive an uptick in playing time.

Double-A Columbus placed Hernandez on its 7-day injured list May 2 due to an unspecified injury.

Columbus deactivated Hernandez just two days after he delivered his best start of the season -- a seven-inning, nine-strikeout gem in which he allowed just one hit and no walks. For the season, Hernandez has compiled a 1.83 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 29:12 K:BB across 19.2 frames.

Harrison (4-1) earned the win Thursday against the Padres, allowing no runs on five hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out seven.

Staked to an early 6-0 lead, Harrison breezed through the San Diego bats Thursday. The 24-year-old southpaw generated 17 whiffs on the afternoon, and he's now given up two runs or fewer in all eight of his starts this year. Harrison boasts a 2.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB over 38.2 innings for the year, but he's worked into the sixth frame just three times so far. He next lines up for a difficult assignment against the division-rival Cubs.

Canning (0-2) took the loss Thursday against the Brewers, allowing six runs on five hits and one walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

Canning didn't last long Thursday, giving up three runs in both the first and second innings before being pulled. The 30-year-old right-hander labored, throwing just 33 of his 64 pitches for strikes on the afternoon, and he's now surrendered six runs in back-to-back starts after firing five innings of one-run ball in his season debut. Canning has a dismal 10.64 ERA, 2.18 WHIP and 14:9 K:BB over 11 frames thus far, so he doesn't project as a recommended fantasy option in his next scheduled outing versus the division-rival Dodgers.

Perez will start Monday's game in Miami, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Perez has been terrific while bouncing back and forth between the rotation and bullpen this season, collecting a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB over 35 innings covering five starts and three relief outings. The veteran lefty may be in line for just a spot start Monday as Atlanta keeps his role flexible. However, Perez is an option to grab JR Ritchie's spot at some point if the rookie isn't able to rein in his recent control problems.

Kelly is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Atlanta.

Kelly started at catcher in four of the previous five games, so he'll get a breather in Thursday's series finale. Miguel Amaya is doing the catching and batting eighth for the Cubs.