MLB Player News

Smith served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday's 8-0 loss to Miami.

Smith made a fourth consecutive start as the designated hitter and is 2-for-11 with three walks and an RBI during that stretch. As to be expected, all four starts have come against right-handers. The Diamondbacks have used LuJames Groover and Ildemaro Vargas at first base during those contests. Since being activated from the 60-day injured list, Smith is batting .105 (2-for-19).

Eldridge went 1-for-4 with a walk, a grand slam and a second run scored in Wednesday's 11-10 win over the Nationals.

Per Maria Guardado of MLB.com, the 21-year-old slugger's blast put him in the record books as the youngest player in history to hit a walk-off grand slam, breaking a mark that had been held by Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente since 1956. Eldridge has caught fire and bashed his way into an everyday role over the last couple weeks, slashing .426/.500/.766 across his last 13 games with seven doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and 15 runs.

Ohtani took a no-decision Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 6.2 innings. He also went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run.

Remarkably enough, Wednesday marked the first time this season that Ohtani gave up more than two runs in a start. Even so, the two-way phenom has now recorded three consecutive quality starts and has attained this feat in all but one of his 11 outings. Ohtani will carry a sparkling 1.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 73:21 K:BB over 67.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance at home against the Rays. As a hitter, he's now slashing a robust .299/.413/.527 with 12 homers, 39 RBI, six stolen bases and 46 runs scored over 294 plate appearances.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Ryan O'Hearn will get the nod at designated hitter Wednesday after Ozuna filled that spot in the lineup the previous two games while going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts. After signing a one-year, $12 million deal in February, Ozuna has been a major disappointment so far for the Pirates. He's striking out at a career-high 29.1 percent clip and has posted a .580 OPS through 50 games, a bottom-five mark among players who have logged at least 200 plate appearances.

Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Melendez had started in four of the team's previous five matchups with right-handed pitchers, but the Mets won't have room for him in the lineup Wednesday while Francisco Alvarez handles designated-hitter duties in his second game back from the IL. Since the start of May, Melendez has posted a weak .533 OPS, so he likely still has more work to do in order to strengthen his grasp on a regular lineup sot.

Andujar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Andujar was forced to depart Sunday's game versus the Mets after tweaking his hamstring, and he's now missed all three starts in the Padres' series against the Reds. The Padres have a team off day Thursday and could make a decision on a potential IL stint for Andujar before Friday's contest in Baltimore. Will Wagner is filling in at designated hitter Wednesday.

Herrera went 3-for-3 with a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Mets.

Herrera was hit by a Freddy Peralta pitch in both of his first two trips to the plate before later adding two singles and a double. The 26-year-old's hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity are all down year-over-year. However, Herrera boasts a 12 percent walk rate and a 16.5 percent strikeout rate, and he is on pace to score more than 100 runs.

Eldridge went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and two walks in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Nationals.

Eldridge tacked on a ninth-inning long ball to put a bow on a good individual performance, though it wasn't enough for the Giants. The 21-year-old has really come around with steady playing time lately, going 19-for-43 (.442) over his last 12 contests. He's batting .300 with an .885 OPS, three homers, eight RBI, 15 runs scored, eight doubles and no stolen bases over 104 plate appearances. As long as Casey Schmitt is filling a full-time role in left field to cover the absence of Heliot Ramos (quadriceps), there's room for Eldridge in the lineup on a near-everyday basis as well. At this point, Eldridge has hit well enough to make it tough to sit him.

Andujar (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Andujar will miss a second consecutive start Tuesday after leaving Sunday's game early due to a hamstring injury. His absence will allow Will Wagner to bat fifth while working as San Diego's designated hitter.

The Cubs optioned Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The 23-year-old outfielder will lose his place on the active roster to make room for Matt Shaw's return from the injured list. Alcantara owns a .906 OPS across 180 plate appearances in the minors, but he's gone just 1-for-9 with a walk and four strikeouts in 12 games at the major-league level this year.