MLB Player News
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Blasts homer No. 42
Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in a 2-0 victory versus Texas.
Ohtani set the Angels off to positive start with his 437-foot solo shot in the first inning, and that was all the team needed in a shutout of the AL West frontrunners. The long ball was the two-way star's 42nd of the campaign, placing him one behind MLB leader Matt Olson. Ohtani also notched his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 7, and he got through the game without striking out for the first time in six contests.
-
Eloy Jimenez DH | TB
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: More groin discomfort
Jimenez is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Cubs due to renewed groin discomfort, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Jimenez missed a bit of time in mid-July due to left groin tightness and it is apparently bothering him again here in mid-August. White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said the 26-year-old slugger is day-to-day. Chicago will be off Thursday before heading out to Colorado for a three-game weekend set against the Rockies.
-
Brian O'Keefe C | KC
Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Selected to MLB roster
Seattle selected O'Keefe's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.
O'Keefe is 30 years old and has logged only four career plate appearances at the major-league level, but he was sporting an impressive .836 OPS with 22 home runs and 65 RBI through 86 games this season with Tacoma. He'll step in as the Mariners' new backup catcher as Tom Murphy (thumb) heads to the 10-day injured list.
-
Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Goes deep in loss
Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Twins.
Cabrera got the scoring started with a two-run shot against Minnesota starter Bailey Ober in the second inning. For Cabrera, it was just his second long ball of the year. His career low in a season is three, which came back in 2018 when he played in just 38 games due to injury. By comparison, Cabrera has now appeared in 70 games this year. The veteran may turn on a few more pitches the rest of the way, but his power is essentially gone at this point.
-
Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Rehab assignment planned
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday that Buxton (hamstring) is getting better but will need to go on a rehab assignment before returning, John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Buxton has been on the injured list since Aug. 4 with right hamstring tightness. Although his return doesn't seem to be imminent, it's a good sign to hear that he's trending upward. A clearer timeline for Buxton's activation will likely come once he begins his assignment, but a late-August return is certainly possible.
-
Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Astros' Michael Brantley: Beginning rehab stint
Brantley (shoulder) was assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land to start a rehab assignment Tuesday.
The 36-year-old will be in the lineup for the Space Cowboys on Tuesday, marking the start of his second rehab assignment of the season. Brantley was shut down in early May after a nine-game rehab stint due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right shoulder, and he'll likely require at least a handful of games in the minors before the Astros activate him from the injured list for his season debut.
-
Mike Ford DH | MIN
Mariners' Mike Ford: Snaps out of slump Monday
Ford went 1-for-3 with a double and a run in a loss to the Royals on Monday.
Ford entered the night mired in an 0-for-13 slump over his previous five games, and Monday's two-bagger was his first extra-base hit since July 23. The journeyman slugger had been surging at the plate at that point, but he's subsequently experienced a 43-point drop in batting average to .221 thanks in large part to a mammoth 47.1 percent strikeout rate over the following 11 contests.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Crushes 41st homer
Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Astros.
Ohtani absolutely smoked a slider that wound up traveling 448 feet at 110.2 mph and put the Angels up 2-0 in the sixth. It wound up being the difference in the ballgame. He also swiped his 17th bag of the year and his fifth in 12 games in August. Ohtani leads the American League with 41 home runs now and trails only the surging Matt Olson for the MLB lead (43). Ohtani has been scorching hot at the plate over the last few weeks. In 17 games since July 27, he's slashing .368/.500/.702 with five homers, seven RBI and 14 runs.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Skipping next start
Ohtani won't make his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani isn't dealing with an injury, but he told manager Phil Nevin that he was experiencing some fatigue and will therefore have his next start postponed to Aug. 23 against Cincinnati. It's unclear who will start Wednesday in Ohtani's place, though the recently activated Griffin Canning seems like a possible candidate.