MLB Player News

Mikolas didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 10-4 win over the Reds, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out two.

The veteran righty got plenty of offensive support on a night when the Nationals launched six home runs, but he couldn't stick around long enough to benefit from it as Mikolas got the hook after 71 inefficient pitches (45 strikes). Injuries to other pitchers would seem to be the only thing keeping Mikolas in the rotation at this point, as he's completed five innings only twice in nine outings (six starts and three bulk relief appearances). He'll take a 7.00 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 24:13 K:BB through 36 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home this weekend against the Orioles.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani will be used only as a pitcher during Wednesday's game against the Giants, and the two-way star will remain out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale but will be available to pinch hit, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

After Ohtani went 0-for-5 at the dish in Monday's 9-3 loss in the series opener, Roberts indicated that the four-time MVP would get a day off from hitting either Wednesday or Thursday. Though Ohtani broke out of an extended funk at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-2 loss, Roberts won't deviate from his plan to rest the 31-year-old superstar during the Giants series. In fact, Ohtani now looks set to be out of the hitting lineup for both of the final two games of the series, though he'll take his normal turn through the rotation Wednesday. While he hasn't lived up to his incredibly high standard as a hitter so far this season with a .797 OPS -- his lowest mark since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign -- Ohtani is on his way to a career-best season as a pitcher. He'll head into his seventh start of the season having maintained a 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB in 37 innings.

Bleday went 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBI in Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals.

Bleday had a two-run single in the ninth inning, giving him multiple RBI in two straight games. He's become a lineup regular for the Reds since being summoned from Triple-A Louisville a little more than two weeks ago. The outfielder has four home runs and 11 RBI while batting .455 with runners in scoring position over 14 contests.

Pfaadt allowed two hits and struck out five over three scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to Texas.

Starter Zac Gallen was done early after giving up seven runs in 4.2 innings. That meant Pfaadt, a starter turned reliever, could bail out the bullpen with multiple innings. He struck out five of the 11 batters he faced in what was his best effort of the season. Pfaadt entered the game with a 9.95 ERA over his first three relief appearances. The Diamondbacks will make every effort to keep him stretched out in case a fill-in or piggyback starter is required.

Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.

Vargas had two of the four hits Arizona could muster, including a second-inning solo homer. He later singled in a run during the team's three-run ninth inning. It was the career-high seventh home run for Vargas, who achieved that feat in just 34 games.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a second run scored in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Giants.

Ohtani was the only Dodger to log multiple hits in this contest. This ended a run of 11 games without a long ball for the superstar. He has just three multi-hit efforts -- and more notably, seven hitless games -- over his last 12 contests, going 9-for-47 (.191) in that span. Overall, he's batting .240 with a .797 OPS, seven homers, 17 RBI, 27 runs scored, seven doubles and five stolen bases across 42 games as a hitter this season. Ohtani is scheduled to pitch Wednesday, but he will be getting a day off from hitting either Wednesday or Thursday, so fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on the Dodgers' lineup cards in the coming days.

Gallen (1-4) took the loss against Texas on Tuesday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 4.2 innings.

Gallen struggled from the outset, serving up a solo homer to Joc Pederson in the first inning. He trailed 3-0 entering the fifth, and then got just two outs in that frame while being charged with four more runs. Gallen managed just six whiffs among his 95 pitches and has now given up a combined 17 runs over his past three starts spanning 14.1 innings. That has pushed his season ERA up to an ugly 5.65.

Yamamoto (3-3) allowed five runs on six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over 6.1 innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Giants.

Yamamoto's line could have been worse, but all three homers against him were solo shots. He gave up just 14 long balls over 173.2 regular-season innings last year, but opponents are having more success against him in 2026 with eight homers across 50 innings this year. The star right-hander is at a 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB through eight starts, and he's given up at least three runs in each of his last four outings. Yamamoto will look to get back on track in a tough road matchup versus the Padres next week.

Bader went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Dodgers.

Bader's blast tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning. The outfielder exited the game for pinch hitter Drew Gilbert in the seventh, which is likely part of the plan to help Bader ease back in after a month-long absence due to a hamstring strain. Bader is batting .136 with two homers, four RBI, five runs scored and no stolen bases over 62 plate appearances this season. He's likely to handle a starting role in center field, but if he can't dig out of his early slump, the right-handed-hitting Bader could cede some at-bats to the left-handed Gilbert, at least against right-handed pitchers.

Haase went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Dodgers.

Haase got the Giants on the board in the third inning with his first homer this year. He followed it up by going back-to-back with Harrison Bader in the fifth. This was Haase's first multi-hit effort of the campaign as well. He's gone 6-for-18 (.333) with four RBI and two doubles across six games. For now, he's sharing the catching duties with Jesus Rodriguez, though Daniel Susac (elbow) will likely be in the mix soon since he's on a rehab assignment. It's unclear if Haase has shown enough in limited action to maintain a spot on the big-league roster once Susac is healthy, but a performance like Tuesday's will certainly help him build his case.