MLB Player News
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Belts 24th homer
Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's victory over Pittsburgh.
Stanton entered Saturday's tilt hitless in six of his last seven appearances, a span in which he was 1-for-23 (.043) and struck out 33.3 percent of the time. While Stanton's impressive power and high strikeout rate make him a very boom-or-bust fantasy option, he currently owns career worsts in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging over 94 games.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: On bench Saturday
Rooker will sit Saturday against the Padres.
Rooker leads Oakland in homers (25) this season, and his .239/.324/.467 slash line is good for a 119 wRC+, third on the team behind Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof. Under ordinary circumstances, that would probably be good for an everyday role, but with the 46-101 Athletics firmly in rebuild mode, expect them to continue spreading at-bats around down the stretch so they can evaluate what they have on their roster. Tyler Soderstrom will be Saturday's designated hitter.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Shut down for season
Ohtani (elbow) was placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain Saturday, ending his season, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The injury ends not only Ohtani's season but likely his Angels career, with the team's continued failure to mount a serious playoff push during his six years in Anaheim widely expected to lead to his departure in free agency. He'll finish the season with a .304/.412/.654 slash line, representing career highs in all three components, as well as 44 homers and 20 steals. He also won 10 games and finished with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings before being shut down from pitching in late August with a torn UCL in his right elbow. While he'll undoubtedly inspire quite the bidding war this winter, Ohtani will come with plenty of risk between the oblique issue and the elbow surgery he's likely to require during the offseason. Ohtani is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, an internal bracing surgery or some other elbow procedure that will likely keep him from pitching for most, if not all, of the 2024 season.
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Justin Turner 1B | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Covers first for Casas
Turner started at first base and went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
Turner stepped in at first base for an injured Triston Casas (shoulder). The 38-year-old Turner has been a consistent producer and clubhouse presence all season for Boston and is expected to remain a regular over the final two weeks of the season. At this point, Adam Duvall is the veteran apt to lose plate appearances to younger talent.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Clears out locker
Ohtani (oblique) cleared out his locker in the Angels' clubhouse Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The team did not provide an explanation following Friday's game, saying that it would provide information regarding Ohtani's status Saturday. Ohtani, who's facing an elbow procedure in the offseason, missed his 11th straight game Friday due to a right oblique injury. He worked out prior to the game in an effort to play, but after his locker was cleaned out, the presumption seems to be that he's shutting it down for the season. Even if this is it for Ohtani, he's arguably still the frontrunner for the AL MVP given his contributions on the mound and with the bat.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Launches 25th homer
Rooker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Padres.
Rooker has just seven hits over 10 games in September, but he's posted three homers despite a 5:17 BB:K in that span. The outfielder's blast Friday was his 25th homer of the season. He's added 59 RBI, 54 runs scored, three stolen bases, a .239/.324/.467 slash line and 18 doubles through 123 contests as one of the Athletics' better hitters this year.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Remains out Friday
Ohtani (oblique) is out of the lineup Friday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani has now been out of the lineup for 11 straight games. He was in the original lineup Monday before being scratched, so perhaps the team believes he can return soon -- explaining the lack of an injured list stint. Randal Grichuk will take a turn at designated hitter while hitting sixth.
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Mitch Garver DH | SEA
Rangers' Mitch Garver: Batting cleanup Friday
Garver (foot) is serving as the DH and batting cleanup Friday at Cleveland.
Garver was lifted from Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays after fouling a ball off his left foot, but X-rays came back negative and he won't miss a contest, serving as the designated hitter for Friday's series opener versus the Guardians. Jonah Heim will do the catching for the visiting Rangers.
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Brian O'Keefe C | SEA
Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Sent back to minors
O'Keefe was activated from the paternity leave list and optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
Luis Torrens took O'Keefe's spot on the roster earlier this week and the Mariners have elected to keep the former around as Cal Raleigh's backup. It allows Seattle to retain catching depth, as Torrens cannot be optioned and could've been lost on waivers.