MLB Player News

Ohtani (2-2) took the loss against Houston on Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out eight batters over seven innings.

Ohtani worked exclusively as a pitcher Tuesday, as manager Dave Roberts opted to give him a break from hitting. The two-way star was excellent again on the mound, racking up 15 whiffs and eight punchouts while holding Houston to two runs -- both on solo homers. Those were the first long balls Ohtani has given up this season, and they were enough to beat him, as Los Angeles managed just one run of offense. Despite the defeat, Ohtani still holds a sterling 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB through 37 innings spanning six starts. He's expected to be back in the DH role Wednesday, and his next start on the mound is lined up to be a road tilt in San Diego.

The Reds will place Pagan (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Pagan had to leave Tuesday's game in a cart after suffering a left hamstring injury on the first pitch he threw -- the second time he's injured his hamstring in roughly three weeks. He isn't scheduled to undergo imaging until Wednesday, but the Reds have already determined that his injury is severe enough to warrant a stay on the IL. Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft will be the favorites to handle the ninth inning for as long as Pagan is on the shelf.

King earned a save against the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out two batters over two innings.

After Peter Lambert gave Houston seven scoreless frames, King was called upon in the eighth to preserve a 2-0 lead. The southpaw surrendered a run on two hits in the inning but was allowed to return for the ninth, and he worked around a one-out single to close out the Houston victory. King is up to three saves on the campaign and has earned a save in each of his past two appearances, so he's clearly a trusted part of the Astros' high-leverage mix. He could see more save opportunities over the next several weeks, though Josh Hader (biceps) figures to reclaim his closer role once he's ready to be activated from the injured list, which could happen in late May.

Lambert (2-2) earned the win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing three hits and issuing four walks while striking out four batters over seven scoreless innings.

Lambert was a bit wild in issuing four free passes, but those didn't hurt him since he gave up only three hits. The right-hander did face some tension when Los Angeles loaded the bases against him in the fourth frame, but he got out of that inning unscathed in the scoring column and surrendered just one baserunner thereafter. Lambert's seven innings were a season high, and he notched his second quality start through four outings. He's getting a chance with Houston's rotation due to injuries to other pitchers, but Lambert may be earning his way to a permanent starting role, as he's posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 23:11 K:B across 22.1 innings so far.

Rolison (3-0) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Tuesday's 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Reds. He struck out two.

Rolison was the last of five Chicago pitchers to enter the game, and he managed his third win in just six relief appearances this year. The righty is pitching well with a 3.12 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 8.2 innings, but he's still fairly low in the Cubs' bullpen pecking order, and his fantasy value remains limited as a result.

Busch went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two total RBI in Tuesday's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Reds.

Busch was the only Chicago player with multiple hits and led the way offensively Tuesday. The first baseman has been good lately with a .304 batting average, two home runs and 14 RBI over his last 12 games. Overall, Busch is batting .229 with a .697 OPS, three homers and 20 RBI in 35 contests, and his recent stretch suggests that those numbers will trend upward.

Grove (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters this weekend, MLB.com reports.

It's set to be Grove's first session since opening the season on the injured list amid his recovery from last year's right shoulder surgery. The right-hander is then slated to go on a minor-league rehab assignment sometime thereafter. Barring any setbacks, Grove should be an option for the Rays at some point in June.

Vierling went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Vierling was one of the few bright spots for Detroit, as he went deep to lead off in the bottom of the first inning. It was only the second long ball of the year for the veteran utility player, who is batting just .221 with a .669 OPS. Vierling has seen a bit more playing time lately with Parker Meadows (arm) and Javier Baez (ankle) both on the injured list, but he isn't guaranteed to hold onto a regular role for the rest of the season.

Pagan was removed from Tuesday's game against the Cubs with a left hamstring injury, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Pagan fell to the ground after throwing one pitch in the ninth inning of Tuesday's contest and immediately began grabbing his left hamstring. The 34-year-old righty was unavailable for a few games in mid-April after tweaking the same hamstring, and although the details of his latest injury are still unknown, the fact that he had to leave the game on a cart suggests he could now be forced to spend time on the injured list. If that ends up being the case, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft would be next up to close games for the Reds.

The Nationals optioned Granillo to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

After giving up four earned runs over two innings in Tuesday's loss to Minnesota, Granillo now owns a 9.64 ERA and 2.25 WHIP over 9.1 major-league innings. He'll attempt to get back on track in Triple-A, though he has also struggled with the Red Wings (10 ER, 5.0 IP).