MLB Player News

Ohtani (finger) will bat second and serve as the designated hitter Saturday against the Astros, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Ohtani has been dealing with a blister and a cracked nail, which forced him to exit his start Friday against the Astros early. It's possible his bothersome finger winds up delaying his next start in the mound, but it won't affect his ability to hit, at least not to the point that the Angels feel compelled to rest him.

Ford entered Friday's loss to the Tigers as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and hit a solo home run in his only plate appearance.

Ford's 363-foot shot to right field brought the Mariners within a run, but Seattle ultimately failed to score again. The slugger has now left the yard in three of his last seven games overall, a span in which he's posted a .429 average and 1.526 OPS with seven extra-base hits and six RBI across 23 plate appearances.

Turner started at second base and went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 8-3 win over the Cubs.

Turner's seventh-inning, two-run blast extended a hit streak to 10 games, during which he's 16-for-38 (.421) with three home runs and 14 RBI. His start at second base allowed manager Alex Cora to maximize the team's offensive potential. For one night, it worked. Turner, Jarren Duran (LF), Adam Duvall (CF) and Masataka Yoshida (DH) combined to go 6-for-18 with a double, two homers and two additional runs scored. Cora told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that Turner will play second base about once per week.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Rockies.

The Yankees got off to a hot start with Stanton's first-inning blast, but that was it for their run production in the contest. He's starting to get back on track, going 11-for-38 (.289) with four homers and 11 RBI over his last 11 games. The veteran slugger is at a .211/.281/.454 slash line with 10 long balls, 25 RBI, 19 runs scored and seven doubles through 42 contests on the year.

Ohtani left his start Friday against the Astros with a trainer in the top of the sixth inning, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

While manager Phil Nevin said pregame that he did not expect any more problems with Ohtani's troublesome right middle finger, it was seemingly the culprit behind the megastar's early exit. He's been dealing with a blister and a cracked nail on the finger. Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register notes that Ohtani's velocity was down and his command was off Friday. He allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings.

Ohtani threw a bullpen session Thursday and had no issues with his finger, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani's right middle finger had been giving him trouble over his past couple of starts. Most recently, he exited his start July 4 against San Diego due to a blister after surrendering five runs over five innings. Luckily, it seems the issue has subsided, and Ohtani should be able to return to the mound Friday against Houston.

Turner is starting at second base and batting third in Friday's game versus the Cubs, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Turner entered play Friday having seen only eight innings of action at second base this season, and this is his first start at the position since 2015. The goal of the move is to inject more offense into the Boston lineup, as its allows Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Adam Duvall to all start between the outfield and DH, but it's not clear how frequently manager Alex Cora will deploy this lineup -- the team is already struggling to find an adequate defensive option at shortstop.

Alvarez (oblique) will have his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land delayed due to illness.

Alvarez was slated to begin playing for Sugar Land on Friday, but his return to the field will have to wait as he fights off an illness. It's unclear what effect this will have on the timeline for his return to Houston, but the Astros will surely look to get their star slugger back as soon as possible. Alvarez has been on the IL since early June with a right oblique strain.

Alvarez (oblique) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez has been working out lately without issue and is ready to test things out in a game setting. The Astros have not revealed how many rehab games the slugger might require, but a return to the major-league roster by early next week would seem possible. Alvarez has been on the shelf since early June with a right oblique strain.

Rooker went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a steal in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox.

Rooker went deep for his second home run in as many games, launching a solo shot off Josh Winckowski in the fifth. He also secured his second stolen base of 2023, an unlikely feat considering he didn't log a steal in any of his first three MLB seasons. Over his last nine appearances, Rooker is 9-for-27 (.333) with three homers and six RBI but is striking out at a 35.4 percent clip.