MLB Player News

Ohtani is not in the lineup as the designated hitter Tuesday as he takes the mound versus the Marlins.

As was reported Monday, Ohtani is getting a chance to rest his bat as he takes the mound Tuesday so he can have a small break at the plate. Dalton Rushing is the starting designated hitter for the Dodgers and is batting leadoff. The two-way superstar should be back in the lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday.

Ohtani will start Tuesday's game against the Marlins on the mound but won't bat, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

This scenario was rumored to be a possibility prior to Monday's win over Miami, and skipper Dave Roberts confirmed in his postgame presser that Ohtani will be limited to pitching the second game of the series in an effort give him a bit of a break. The two-way player figures to be back in the starting nine in the DH spot for Wednesday afternoon's series finale.

Ohtani, who is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Marlins on the mound, could be held back from hitting, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that the team intends to give Ohtani a break given the fact that the two-way player is pitching on five days of rest instead of his usual six days. The Dodgers also have an early start time Wednesday, making it all the more likely that Ohtani is restricted to pitching only Tuesday. Expect more clarification from the team on the 31-year-old's usage closer to Tuesday's first pitch.

Ohtani went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, an additional run scored and a walk in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Cubs.

Ohtani reached base in all four of his plate appearances, highlighted by an opposite-field solo homer off Hoby Milner in the seventh inning. It marked the two-way superstar's first long ball since April 12 after he slashed just .182/.294/.250 over his previous 11 games. Ohtani's numbers at the plate may not be as eye-popping as in recent seasons, but he's still slashing .262/.391/.485 with six homers, 12 RBI, 19 runs and three stolen bases while also dominating on the mound with a 0.38 ERA and 0.75 WHIP along with a 2-0 record across 24 innings (four starts).

Harper went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and four RBI in an 8-5 extra-inning win over Atlanta on Saturday.

Harper drove in four runs despite not notching any extra-base hits. He brought home a run on an infield single in the fifth frame, hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth and produced two more runs with a single in the 10th. This was just the third multi-RBI performance of the campaign for Harper, and it was his first multi-hit effort since April 17. Overall, the veteran slugger is slashing .270/.357/.520 with six home runs, 15 runs, 18 RBI and a stolen base through 27 contests.

Ozuna isn't in the Pirates' starting lineup Saturday versus Milwaukee.

Ozuna will take a seat after starting each of Pittsburgh's previous 10 games and batting .262 with two home runs and eight RBI over that span. The veteran slugger's bat may be beginning to perk up, but he still has a poor .487 OPS and 26.1 strikeout rate through 21 games on the campaign. Ryan O'Hearn is getting a day off his feet as the DH in Ozuna's stead Saturday.

Harper went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 loss to Atlanta.

Harper took Grant Holmes deep on a fastball to lead off the sixth inning, giving Philly a 3-2 lead. It was the first baseman's sixth long ball of the season and second in his last four contests. Harper is one of the lone Phillies swinging a hot bat of late, and he's now slashing .258/.345/.515 with the six homers, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, one stolen base and a 13:17 BB:K across 110 trips to the dish.

The Diamondbacks re-signed Baker to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Baker elected to hit the open market after being designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on April 18. He'll now rejoin Reno, where he has a .222/.383/.389 slash line in 47 plate appearances this year.

Ohtani scattered five hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over six scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Wednesday. He also went 0-for-4 with a strikeout as a batter.

Ohtani continues to dominate on the mound this season -- he's allowed just two runs (one earned) over 24 innings so far, good for a 0.38 ERA. He's added a 25:6 K:BB and 0.75 WHIP. He wasn't able to get any run support in this contest, nor did he help his own cause as his 53-game on-base streak came to a close. Ohtani hasn't quite been himself at the plate yet this year with a .258/.382/.472 slash line, five home runs, 11 RBI, 15 runs scored and one stolen base over 24 contests as a hitter this season. His next pitching start is projected to be at home versus the Marlins.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Cubs.

Harper provided a late spark, launching a two-run homer off Riley Martin in the eighth inning for his fifth long ball of the season. He continues to swing a hot bat in April, going 21-for-64 (.328) with five homers during the month. After an ice-cold start to the year, Harper has raised his season line to .274/.365/.536 with five doubles, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored across 96 plate appearances.