MLB Player News
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Matt Mervis 1B | MIA
Cubs' Matt Mervis: Makes return from IL
Mervis (hand) was reinstated from Triple-A Iowa's 7-day injured list Tuesday and has gone 4-for-17 with five walks since rejoining the lineup.
Mervis missed about six-and-a-half weeks with a hand injury and didn't require a rehab assignment before being activated. The 26-year-old has spent the majority of the season at Iowa, slashing .238/.332/.463 with 13 home runs and two stolen bases over 60 games.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Continues bashing ball
Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run Saturday in an extra-inning loss to the Rays.
One day after belting a walk-off grand slam to become the sixth member of the 40-40 club in MLB history, Ohtani went deep again with a two-run shot to right field in the fifth inning. The slugger has hit home runs four times during his current seven-game hitting streak, during which he's added eight RBI, five stolen bases and eight runs while slashing .345/.406/.828. The only MLB players to reach 40 home runs so far this season are Ohtani and Aaron Judge, who is one long ball away from 50.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Throws off mound
Ohtani (elbow) threw 10 pitches off a bullpen mound Saturday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ohtani still won't pitch in 2024 but Saturday marks the first time he's thrown off a mound since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of 2023. The milestone comes one day after he joined the 40-40 club with a walk-off grand slam. The 29-year-old is expected to be a cleared to pitch in time for spring training.
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Gary Sanchez C | BAL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Not starting Saturday
Sanchez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Oakland.
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 11-3 win over the Athletics. For the month of August, he is slashing .313/.450/.500 with six runs scored, seven walks, one home run and eight RBI across 40 plate appearances. Rhys Hoskins will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Grand slam secures 40-40 season
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a walk-off grand slam and a stolen base in Friday's 7-3 win over the Rays.
Ohtani entered Friday one homer and one steal shy of securing his first career 40-40 season. He got the steal out of the way early, swiping second after hitting a single in the fourth inning. The 30-year-old then put together an encore worthy of Hollywood, taking Colin Poche deep for a grand slam in the ninth, Ohtani's first career walk-off homer. He became the first Dodger to join the 40-40 club, and in addition to those stellar milestone marks, he's added a .292/.378/.614 slash line with 92 RBI, 97 runs scored, 29 doubles and six triples over 126 contests this year. That said, Ohtani has found less success at the plate in August, batting .209 (18-for-86) this month, though he still has eight homers and 12 steals over his last 20 games.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Mets' J.D. Martinez: Getting breather Thursday
Martinez isn't in the Mets' lineup for Thursday's game versus San Diego.
Martinez will take a seat for Thursday's series opener after going 2-for-12 with two home runs and six RBI during New York's previous series against the Orioles. His absence will allow Jesse Winker to serve as the Mets' designated hitter while batting fifth.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Logs 39th theft
Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a stolen base Wednesday in an 8-4 victory over the Mariners.
Ohtani has begun to emerge from a slump that saw him bat .164 over his first 14 games in August -- he's since built a five-game hitting streak during which he's batting .300 with two homers, two RBI and five runs. The slugger has added four thefts during that span to push his total to a career-high 39 in 43 attempts. Ohtani is now one home run and one stolen base away from going 40-40 on the campaign.
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Tyler Black 2B | MIL
Brewers' Tyler Black: Moves back to Triple-A
The Brewers optioned Black to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.
Black will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to outfielder Blake Perkins (calf), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. After getting recalled from Nashville on Aug. 12, Black started at designated hitter in five of the Brewers' ensuing nine games while going 2-for-15 with three walks against five strikeouts. Now that Black is out of the mix, the Brewers will likely rotate a number of players at DH, with Gary Sanchez, Jake Bauers and Perkins all being candidates to see upticks in opportunities.
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Luken Baker DH | LAD
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Homers off bench in win
Baker hit a two-run home run in his lone at-bat in Wednesday's 10-6 extra-inning win over the Brewers.
Baker provided a game-tying blast in the seventh inning to knot the score at 4-4 in his first major-league at-bat of the season. The slugger slashed .209/.313/.314 with two homers and 10 RBI over 33 games in the majors last season, and he was slashing .231/.345/.535 with 32 homers and 79 RBI across 108 contests with Triple-A Memphis prior to his call-up Tuesday. Baker figures to be a short-side platoon option at designated hitter as well as a top bench bat whenever a southpaw reliever enters for an opponent. He may not get many starts, however, as starting catcher Willson Contreras is typically the DH when the Cardinals face lefty starters.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Closing in on 40-40 campaign
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 victory versus Seattle.
Ohtani laced a triple in the third inning and added a single in the eighth. Following his final hit, the slugger swiped second base for his 38th theft of the campaign. Ohtani also has 39 home runs through 124 games, so he appears to be a lock for the sixth 40-40 season in MLB history. He has a legitimate shot at MLB's first 50-50 campaign, as he's currently on pace for 50 homers and 48 thefts.