MLB Player News
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Marcell Ozuna DH | ATL
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Mashes 33rd homer
Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Brewers.
It was a rough night for Atlanta overall in a 16-7 rout, but Ozuna did what he could with a solo shot in the seventh inning off Bryse Wilson and an RBI groundout in the eighth. The veteran slugger is up to 33 homers and 88 RBI on the season, and he's been on a rampage over the last month, slashing .323/.377/.656 in his last 25 games with 10 long balls, 15 RBI and 19 runs.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Getting breather against LHP
Pederson isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup Thursday versus the Phillies.
Pederson will get a chance to rest as the Diamondbacks match up against left-hander Kolby Allard in Thursday's series opener. Ketel Marte will instead serve as Arizona's designated hitter while Kevin Newman picks up a start at second base.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Aims for mound work in September
Ohtani (elbow) hopes to begin throwing off a mound by early September, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Ohtani's current throwing program as he comes back from right UCL surgery has him playing catch from 150 feet three days per week at 85 percent intensity. He will progress to four days per week and then five before being cleared to throw off the mound. As long as all of those stages go off without a hitch, the hope is Ohtani will be able to face hitters either via live batting practice or a simulated game by October. He would then be shut down for a while before eventually ramping things back up in the offseason. Ohtani is aiming to be a two-way player again in 2025.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Taking seat in series finale
Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
Blackmon will take a seat along with fellow left-handed hitters Ryan McMahon and Jake Cave as the Mets send southpaw David Peterson to the hill. Kris Bryant will get a day off from the outfield and will replace Blackmon as the Rockies' designated hitter.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | PIT
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Absent from lineup
McCutchen is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Padres, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
McCutchen went deep in the Pirates' extra-inning loss to the Padres on Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's matinee. Bryan Reynolds will get a start at the designated hitter spot while Bryan De La Cruz, Michael Taylor and Ji Hwan Bae patrol the outfield.
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Travis Blankenhorn DH | WAS
Nationals' Travis Blankenhorn: Out against lefty
Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
The Giants are sending a lefty (Kyle Harrison) to the hill for the second day in a row, so the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will once again head to the bench. Platoon mate Harold Ramirez will get another turn as the Nationals' designated hitter and will slot sixth in the batting order.
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Kyle Schwarber DH | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Monster performance in win
Schwarber went 4-for-4 with three home runs, one double, one walk, seven RBI and three runs in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Dodgers.
Schwarber took Gavin Stone deep for a leadoff shot to open the contest before adding a two-run double in the fifth to bring the Phillies back within one run. But the slugger wasn't done yet, launching two more home runs in his final two at-bats to put the finishing touches on Philadelphia's win. Schwarber has five home runs through six games in August, already matching his total for July. He's also hit safely in seven straight contests, tallying three multi-hit performances over that stretch.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | PIT
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Belts homer in loss
McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in an extra-inning loss to San Diego on Wednesday.
McCutchen tallied all of his RBI in the middle innings, swatting a solo homer in the fourth frame and adding a two-run single in the sixth. The long ball snapped a 13-game homerless stretch for the veteran outfielder, though he's nonetheless managed to already top last year's home-run total with 14 through 419 plate appearances. McCutchen went deep just 12 times over 473 plate appearances in his return to Pittsburgh last season.
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Travis Blankenhorn DH | WAS
Nationals' Travis Blankenhorn: Exiting lineup vs. lefty
Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
With a lefty (Blake Snell) on the bump for the Giants, the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will move to the bench after starting in each of the Nationals' previous six games. Harold Ramirez will take over as the Nationals' designated hitter.