MLB Player News
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Faces hitters for first time
Ohtani threw a 22-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Facing live hitters for the first time since undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery Sept. 19, 2023, Ohtani reached a major milestone Sunday in what's been a slow ramp-up process with his throwing program. While taking the mound for five total at-bats against teammates Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing as well as a member of the Dodgers coaching staff, Ohtani recorded a pair of strikeouts and a groundout and gave up a walk and a double. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said that Ohtani was throwing "free and easy" and sported a fastball that sat around 94 to 95 miles per hour during Sunday's workout while also mixing in a couple of sweepers as well as a splitter. Ohtani will likely continue to ramp up the intensity and volume of his live sessions over the next few weeks before the team pinpoints a target date for his debut as a pitcher. In the meantime, his preparations as a pitcher aren't expected to prevent him from serving as the Dodgers' everyday designated hitter; Ohtani will be in the lineup in the leadoff spot for Sunday's series finale versus the Mets.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: Sitting amid struggles
Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The switch-hitting Bell has produced an abysmal .065/.216/.129 slash line over 37 plate appearances against lefties this season, and the Nationals seem content to treat him as a platoon player for the time being. He'll remain on the bench for the second day in a row as the Nationals face off against another Giants lefty in Robbie Ray.
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Randal Grichuk RF | KC
Diamondbacks' Randal Grichuk: Homers in loss
Grichuk went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Grichuk tied the game in the fifth inning with his second homer of the season, and both have come in his last seven games. He typically plays against left-handers only and is a better fit for fantasy leagues with daily transactions. Grichuk mashed southpaws last season but got off to a middling start in 2025 before making a bigger impact lately, going 7-for-17 (.412) with a 1.235 OPS over his last seven contests.
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Kyle Schwarber LF | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Contributes three RBI in win
Schwarber went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-6 extra-innings win over the Athletics.
Schwarber put the Phillies ahead 4-3 with a solo shot in the sixth inning, and he added a two-run double in the 11th to give them the lead for good. With the long ball, Schwarber has retaken the National League lead with 18 homers through Saturday's action. The slugger hadn't logged multiple hits since May 11 in Cleveland, and he now has four homers and eight RBI over his last 12 contests. He's slashing .255/.397/.580 with 40 RBI, 40 runs scored and four steals over 52 contests this season.
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Luis Campusano C | SD
Padres' Luis Campusano: Back in San Diego
The Padres recalled Campusano from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.
With Jason Heyward (oblique) headed for the IL, Campusano will come up from the minors to fill the open spot on San Diego's bench. The 26-year-old backstop is 0-for-6 with four walks in the big leagues this season but has slashed .275/.370/.550 with three homers, nine RBI and five runs across 46 plate appearances since being sent down in early May.
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Jared Young 1B | NYM
Mets' Jared Young: Receives call-up
The Mets recalled Young from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.
Young has spent the entire 2025 campaign in the minors, slashing .256/.371/.500 with five homers, 21 RBI and 15 runs scored across 97 Triple-A plate appearances. Now with the Mets, he'll supply the big club with a bench piece capable of playing in the infield and outfield. Jose Azocar was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: Idle Saturday
Bell isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Bell will take a seat on the bench Saturday after going 3-for-16 with a homer and two runs scored across his last five games. James Wood will act as Washington's designated hitter instead while Alex Call, Robert Hassell and Daylen Lile start across the outfield.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Live bullpen pushed back to Sunday
The bullpen session against live hitters that Ohtani (elbow) was originally scheduled to throw pregame Saturday will instead take place Sunday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
The mound session will be a major step in Ohtani's journey to return to game action as a pitcher, as it will mark the first time he has faced hitters since he underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2023. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, the reason for the session moving from Saturday to Sunday is the late ending of Friday's game against the Mets, which included a 98-minute rain delay and went 13 innings, finishing just before 1:00 am ET. Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a walk and a run in the Dodgers' victory.
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Gavin Sheets RF | SD
Padres' Gavin Sheets: Belts another home run
Sheets went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over Atlanta.
Coming off a two-homer performance against the Blue Jays on Thursday, Sheets showed off his power again Friday with a solo long shot off Chris Sale in the second inning. Sheets is up to nine home runs on the season, six of which have come since the beginning of May. Over that span, he has slashed .313/.333/.627 with 10 runs scored and 17 RBI in 69 plate appearances.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Set to face hitters Saturday
Ohtani (elbow) will face hitters in a bullpen session Saturday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani also threw some breaking pitches in his lighter mid-week bullpen session Wednesday, Chen added. It's all a major step in his rehab from elbow surgery, and facing hitters this weekend might be the biggest step of them all to this point. The Dodgers don't anticipate Ohtani going out on a rehab assignment due to his role as a hitter and will instead build him up through simulated games. Ohtani's mound debut with the Dodgers remains to be determined.