MLB Player News
-
Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: On bench again
Flores (hamstring) isn't part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against Washington, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Flores has been tending to left hamstring tightness for the past week, and he's now being withheld from the starting nine for a sixth consecutive game. The Giants were hopeful their off day Thursday would help Flores recover, but he's not feeling well enough to play Friday. Dominic Smith will DH in place of Flores.
-
Luken Baker 1B | ARI
Dodgers' Luken Baker: Bumped from 40-man roster
The Dodgers designated Baker for assignment Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Baker was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on Monday, but his stint on the Dodgers' 40-man roster will come to an end after mere days. The 28-year-old Baker has struggled to find his footing in the majors, but he has multiple 30-homer seasons in the minors, and that power could attract another suitor.
-
Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Belts 16th homer
Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Marlins.
The veteran slugger went back-to-back with Drake Baldwin in the first inning off Eury Perez, staking Atlanta to an early 2-0 lead. Ozuna has finally gotten hot at the plate after a brutal first half of the season, and over his last nine games he's batting .333 (8-for-24) with three of his 16 homers on the year.
-
Agustin Ramirez C | MIA
Marlins' Agustin Ramirez: Swipes two bags in win
Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Astros.
The rookie backstop is heating up again. Ramirez is batting .290 (9-for-31) over the last eight games, but he's doing more damage with his legs than his bat, swiping five of his seven bags on the season during that span while adding two homers, three runs and five RBI. The 23-year-old showed speed as well as power in the minors, including a 17-for-18 performance on the basepaths over 97 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. Despite not getting called up by the Marlins until late April, Ramirez is on track for a 20-10 campaign in his MLB debut.
-
Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: Taking seat against southpaw
Bell is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The switch-hitting Bell has been far more productive versus right-handed pitching (116 wRC+, .336 wOBA in 301 plate appearances) than left-handed pitching (32 wRC+, .215 wOBA in 83 plate appearances) this season, so the Nationals will likely continue to be selective with his usage against southpaws moving forward. With lefty Jacob Lopez on the hill for the Athletics, Bell will bow out of the starting nine to open up the designated-hitter spot for James Wood in the series finale.
-
Ryan O'Hearn RF | PIT
Padres' Ryan O'Hearn: Belts clutch homer Wednesday
O'Hearn went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 win against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
O'Hearn was hitless in his first three at-bats, but he made up for that in a big way in his final plate appearance, belting a solo homer in the ninth inning to tie the score 2-2. The long ball was his first -- and just his second hit overall in 13 at-bats -- since he joined the Padres at the trade deadline. O'Hearn looks like he may not be given an everyday role with his new club, as he's started in just three of San Diego's six contests since getting dealt.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers, punches out eight
Ohtani did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing a run on two hits and no walks while striking out eight over four innings. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.
While the Dodgers would ultimately come up short against the Cardinals, it was a vintage performance from Ohtani, who threw a season-high 54 pitches over four innings. After giving up a lone run in the top of the third inning, Ohtani put the Dodgers back in front with a two-run shot off Matthew Liberatore in the bottom half of the frame, which was his 39th homer this year and the 1,000th hit of his eight-year MLB career. While he'll likely be limited in a pitching capacity during the regular season, Ohtani's posted a strong 2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB across 19 innings. At the plate, he's slashing .276/.381/.606 with 106 runs scored, 75 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 112 games.
-
Seiya Suzuki RF | CHC
Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Snaps slump with big afternoon
Suzuki went 2-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Reds.
After getting a breather Tuesday, Suzuki returned for the Wednesday afternoon series finale and promptly mashed his 27th home run of the season, which ties him with Pete Crow-Armstrong for the team lead. Suzuki had been scuffling before Wednesday with just a .143/.284/.214 slash line in 16 games since the All-Star break, but perhaps the day off helped him get back on track.
-
Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Remains out, hopes to avoid IL
Flores (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
For the fifth game in a row, Flores will remain on the bench while he contends with a tight left hamstring, but Slusser relays that the Giants remain hopeful that with the help of an off day Thursday, the veteran first baseman will avoid a trip to the injured list. With Flores sitting out once again, Rafael Devers will serve as the Giants' designated hitter, though Casey Schmitt will replace the left-handed-hitting Dominic Smith at first base while the Pirates send southpaw Andrew Heaney to the hill.
-
Ryan O'Hearn RF | PIT
Padres' Ryan O'Hearn: Idle Tuesday
O'Hearn isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
O'Hearn will retreat to the bench for a second consecutive game Tuesday, even with right-hander Ryne Nelson set to start on the bump for Arizona. Luis Arraez will start at first base for the Friars while O'Hearn sits, and Manny Machado will serve as the DH with Jose Iglesias at third.