MLB Player News

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Phillies.

Hernandez jumpstarted Miami's eight-run comeback by taking Jesus Luzardo deep for a two-run homer in the fifth inning. The slugger has stayed productive since the All-Star break, homering three times and batting 13-for-50 (.260), but he also has a 39.2 percent strikeout rate across 12 contests. Through 79 games this season, Hernandez is slashing .241/.308/.486 with 16 home runs, 12 doubles, one triple, 43 RBI, 29 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

Moreno went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Pirates.

Moreno opened the scoring by taking Jared Jones deep for a two-run homer in the fourth inning. During July, the catcher is batting .363 while drawing 14 walks and has reached base safely in all 24 games he's played this month, extending his on-base streak to 45 consecutive starts. Through 82 games this season, Moreno is slashing .308/.390/.455 with eight home runs, 18 doubles, 45 RBI, 46 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Okamoto went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Nationals.

After singling twice across his first four plate appearances, Okamoto delivered the biggest hit of the night in the eighth inning, ripping a two-run double to extend Toronto's lead. The rookie has bounced back nicely after opening the second half in an 0-for-22 slump, collecting eight hits over his last five games. Through 106 contests this year, Okamoto is slashing .231/.308/.453 with 24 home runs, 14 doubles, 68 RBI, 57 runs scored and one stolen base.

Double-A Columbus placed Southisene on the 7-day injured list July 29 with a wrist injury.

Gaurav Vedak of Baseball Prospectus reports that Southisene was hit on the hand/wrist area on a pitch in his first game after getting promoted to Double-A on Tuesday. The 19-year-old shortstop slashed .255/.379/.428 with four home runs and nine steals in 38 games at High-A prior to the promotion.

Varland recorded his 23rd save Wednesday against the Nationals, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings.

He was summoned in the eighth inning with a three-run lead after Tyler Rogers allowed a run and left runners on first and second with no outs. Varland issued a walk to load the bases but escaped the jam unscathed. In the ninth he worked around a leadoff single from Jorbit Vivas to lock down his 23rd save this season. The right-hander has converted seven saves over his last nine appearances while recording 11 strikeouts across 10 innings during that stretch. For the season, Varland owns a sparkling 0.98 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 73:23 K:BB over 55 innings.

Kikuchi (shoulder) will make a minor-league rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi has been out of action since April 29 due to left shoulder inflammation. The veteran southpaw began tossing bullpens in early July and is now ready to return to game action. According to Bollinger, Kikuchi believes he'll need three rehab starts before returning to the Angels' rotation. That means he's unlikely to be activated until at least mid-August.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman reiterated Wednesday that the Dodgers expect Ohtani to pitch again this season, with Friedman noting that the two-way player's right biceps soreness is a lesser concern than his inflamed left knee, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. "If it weren't for the knee, [Ohtani] would be pitching right now," Friedman said.

Per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, Ohtani is throwing plyometric balls to limit the force on his left knee, after the Dodgers decided to postpone his scheduled bullpen session over the weekend. The Dodgers are confident that the four-time MVP will start playing catch again soon, which would put him on track to be ready to pitch by season's end. Ohtani hasn't made a start as a pitcher since July 3 but has continued to handle an everyday role at designated hitter while he recovers from the knee issue.

The Yankees haven't yet determined when Judge (ribs) will next be examined by team doctors, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

It's coming up on two months since Judge last played in a game, and the star slugger remains unable to participate in baseball activities. Manager Aaron Boone said July 25 that Judge is still in "letting-it-heal mode," and with no clear timeline for when he'll undergo imaging again, Judge's potential return date is very hazy. He'll almost certainly need to take part in a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, but such a stint doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Glasnow (back) will begin a rehab assignment after completing Wednesday's live batting practice session, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Glasnow has been shelved since May 8 due to lower back spasms, but assuming he checks out fine following Wednesday's live session, he'll move on to the final stage of the recovery process. Given the length of his absence, Glasnow will likely require at least three rehab starts to build up his pitch count before he's deemed ready to rejoin the Dodgers rotation. Prior to landing on the shelf, Glasnow turned in a 2.72 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 49:13 K:BB across 39.2 innings over seven starts.

The Dodgers activated Diaz (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Diaz has been on the shelf since April 20 after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He was cleared to embark on a rehab assignment right before the All-Star break, and across seven minor-league games he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 11 over 5.2 innings. The Dodgers should ease Diaz back into the fold, but if all goes well, the veteran right-hander could reclaim the closer role from Tanner Scott in the near future.