MLB Player News
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Goes deep, swipes bag
Machado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Angels.
Machado's solo shot in the first inning was the lone run for the Padres in Monday's loss. He was intentionally walked twice and also stole his fourth base of the year. The long ball snapped a brutal 26-game drought since his last homer May 3; during that cold streak, he posted a .591 OPS. Machado is now slashing .242/.307/.372 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBI through 244 plate appearances this season.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Getting regular at-bats versus RHPs
Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Astros.
Carpenter has now been included in the lineup in four straight matchups with right-handed pitchers and could settle in as St. Louis' primary DH due to Lars Nootbaar's oblique injury opening up more opportunities in right field for Alec Burleson. Since returning from the injured list May 11 after missing more than five weeks of action with an oblique injury of his own, Carpenter has slashed .176/.300/.294 over 11 games.
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Gary Sanchez DH | MIL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Taking seat Monday
Sanchez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
Sanchez had started at designated hitter or catcher in four of the Brewers' previous five games, but he'll hit the bench for the series opener in Philadelphia. The 31-year-old should still have a fairly clear path to a regular spot in the lineup versus left-handed pitching, but opportunities to start against righties could be harder to come by following Rhys Hoskins' recent return from the injured list.
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Jorge Soler RF | ATL
Giants' Jorge Soler: Knocks three hits in loss
Soler went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Yankees.
This was Soler's first multi-hit effort since May 22, and he went just 4-for-27 over the eight contests in between. The 32-year-old briefly got a look at leadoff in May, but he's since returned to the middle of the Giants' order. He's yet to find a groove for any extended period in 2024, slashing .215/.294/.372 with six home runs, 16 RBI, 22 runs scored and eight doubles over 48 contests.
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Alec Burleson DH | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Snaps slump with homer
Burleson went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Phillies.
Burleson entered Sunday 0-for-17 over his last four games. He ended the drought -- his longest of the season -- with a third-inning blast to put the Cardinals ahead 4-2. Burleson has been forced into a larger role with the Cardinals lacking several starters, including Lars Nootbaar (oblique), who is expected to be out for nearly all of June. Burleson is slashing .273/.302/.418 with six homers, 20 RBI, 15 runs scored and two stolen bases over 50 contests and should have a chance to continue playing on a near-everyday basis for the foreseeable future.
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Nick Martini DH | CIN
Reds' Nick Martini: Sitting in second straight game
Martini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
The lefty-hitting Martini was out of the lineup for Saturday's 7-5 loss while the Cubs brought southpaw Justin Steele to the hill, but Martini's absence Sunday will come against a right-hander (Ben Brown). Martini looked to have moved back into a strong-side platoon role at designated hitter after recently starting in five straight games, but his spot in the Reds' regular lineup no longer looks to be a given.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Throwing at 80 mph
Ohtani has reached 80 mph during his throwing program, per MLB.com.
Ohtani has been throwing since late March and has progressed to a distance of 60 feet. The two-way star won't see any game action as a pitcher this season, so it's logical that the Dodgers will be very cautious in managing his throwing progression. Though he's working only as a batter this season, Ohtani is once again in the MVP discussion with a .326/.395/.604 slash line, 14 home runs, 38 RBI, 41 runs and 14 stolen bases through 57 games.
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David Peralta RF | SD
Padres' David Peralta: Out versus lefty
Peralta is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Kansas City, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The lefty batter will get a break as the Royals send southpaw Cole Ragans out to the mound for the series finale. Manny Machado will serve as the team's designated hitter and the right-handed hitting Donovan Solano will enter the lineup at third base.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Taking seat against southpaw
Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Pederson will end up hitting the bench for the final two games of the series while the Mets brought left-handed starters to the hill Saturday (Sean Manaea) and Sunday (Jose Quintana). With Pederson out of the lineup, Eugenio Suarez will get a day off in the field and will serve as Arizona's designated hitter.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Records steal in win
Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Rockies.
Ohtani had gone seven games without a steal, and he hit just .167 (5-for-30) over that span. That's a rare cold spell for one of baseball's best players, who continues to do it all out of the No. 2 hole for the Dodgers. He's at a .326/.395/.604 slash line with 14 home runs, 14 steals, 38 RBI and 41 runs scored over 57 contests.