MLB Player News
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Reaches 30 homers
Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's win over the Red Sox.
Ohtani was one of five Dodgers who went yard against Kutter Crawford. His fifth-inning blast traveled 473 feet, the second-longest home run ever recorded at Dodger Stadium, and he has seven homers of at least 450 feet this year. Ohtani leads the National League with 30 home runs and has reached that mark in four consecutive seasons. He's slashing .315/.401/.638 with 70 RBI, 78 runs, 23 steals and a 54:97 BB:K in 441 plate appearances.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: On bench against lefty
Pederson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
The left-handed Pederson will hit the bench for the second day in a row while the Diamondbacks face off against another southpaw in Cole Ragans. Randal Grichuk will replace Pederson at designated hitter.
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Jorge Soler RF | ATL
Giants' Jorge Soler: Opens scoring with moonshot
Soler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.
Soler's 478-foot blast on the fourth pitch of the game was the longest homer in the majors this season. It was his first long ball since July 2. The designated hitter has struggled to hit for power in his new home park in San Francisco -- he's at a .400 slugging percentage while batting .225 with 34 RBI, 49 runs scored and 20 doubles over 85 contests this season, but eight of his 11 long balls have come on the road.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Sitting against lefty
Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
The lefty-hitting Pederson will retreat to the bench for the series finale while the Cubs send southpaw Shota Imanaga to the hill. Ketel Marte will get a day out of the infield and will replace Pederson as the Diamondbacks' designated hitter.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | ATL
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Big power display against Cards
Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader split against the Cardinals.
After going 1-for-4 in the matinee, Ozuna piled up 855 feet worth of long balls off Sonny Gray in the nightcap, accounting for half of the four homers Atlanta slugged off the right-hander in a losing effort. Ozuna has hit safely in eight straight games, and through 62 plate appearances in July he's slashing .328/.355/.724 with seven home runs and 12 RBI. The 33-year-old needs to go yard twice more in 2024 to record the third 30-homer campaign of his career, and he's on pace to top the career-high 40 he launched just last season.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Nationals' Harold Ramirez: Goes deep in win
Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a 5-4 win against the Reds on Saturday.
After Cincinnati tallied two runs in the top of the first inning, Ramirez knotted up the score with a two-run blast in the bottom of the frame. The long ball ended a 45-game homerless stretch for the veteran dating back to April 15. Ramirez went deep a career-high 12 times last season, but he's homered only twice through 61 games this year.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Nabs steal Saturday
Pederson went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a hit-by-pitch in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Cubs.
Pederson's steal was his first since June 14. He hit just .227 over the 21 contests between thefts, a noticeable cooldown for a player who is still batting .274 on the year. The slugger has added an .871 OPS, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 34 runs scored and five steals over 81 contests in his usual strong-side platoon role.
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Gary Sanchez DH | MIL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Beginning rehab assignment
Sanchez (calf) was sent to Triple-A Nashville on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy indicated last week that Sanchez was well ahead of schedule in his recovery, and he appears to be in the home stretch. Sanchez's rehab assignment comes three and a half weeks after he suffered a strained left calf, and while he'll likely be eased into catching duties, he could be activated in late July or early August.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Absent versus left-hander
Pederson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.
The Cubs are sending southpaw Justin Steele to the hill, so the left-handed hitting Pederson will begin the first game of the second half on the bench. Randal Grichuk will handle designated hitter duties.
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Matt Mervis DH | CHC
Cubs' Matt Mervis: Lands on IL with hand injury
Triple-A Iowa placed Mervis on its 7-day injured list July 4 with an apparent hand injury, Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports.
The Triple-A club hasn't provided official word on the nature of Mervis' injury, though Birch notes that the first baseman is suspected to be dealing with a broken hamate bone. Since being optioned to Iowa on May 4 after an abbreviated stint with the Cubs, Mervis was slashing .215/.286/.424 with eight home runs and a 26.7-percent strikeout rate over 37 games.