MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts didn't rule out the possibility of Ohtani (knee) pitching Sunday against the Tigers, depending how things go the next few days, Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The skipper indicated Sunday that Ohtani could pitch in a game as early as this week, and it appears the two-way star is in play to close out the three-game series in Detroit. The right-hander threw 30 pitches in a session of live batting practice Saturday and will have one more mound session this week. If that goes well, Ohtani could make his first appearance on the bump for the Dodgers since early July. He would likely have a limited workload early on, which would give Eric Lauer a chance to work in a piggyback role.

The Giants placed Eldridge (personal) on the bereavement list Monday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

As expected, the Giants deactivated Eldridge after he left the team to attend his grandfather's funeral in Virginia. Eldridge is expected to be away from the Giants for their entire three-game series against the Reds before rejoining the team ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the Diamondbacks.

Eldridge is expected to miss the Giants' three-game series against the Reds to begin the week while he heads to Virginia to attend his grandfather's funeral, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants plan to place Eldridge on the bereavement list prior to Monday's game. Eldridge has been making most of his starts at first base lately, but his upcoming absence for the next three games will clear the way for Rafael Devers to pick up more reps in the infield. San Francisco will likely use a rotation of players in the designated-hitter spot until Eldridge rejoins the club Thursday.

Schwarber went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Cardinals.

Schwarber capped the Phillies' six-run ninth inning and improbable comeback with a two-run, game-winning blast off Riley O'Brien. It was Schwarber's league-leading 39th home run this season and his second in his last two contests. He's gone 15-for-64 (.266) with six homers in his last 16 games, boosting his slash line to .245/.361/.532 with 78 RBI and 76 runs scored across 559 plate appearances this year.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani (knee) could pitch in a game as early as next week, Dylan Hernandez of the California Post reports.

The right-hander threw 30 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, and he'll have one more bullpen session or live batting practice session on the schedule during the Dodgers' upcoming series in Atlanta before a decision is made whether he's ready for game action, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. Ohtani -- who hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since July 3 due to knee issues and a right biceps injury -- was in the midst of a dominant campaign on the mound with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 95:26 K:BB across 85.2 innings. He's continued to be a force at the plate with a .935 OPS through 20 games in August and is batting leadoff, as usual, in Sunday's series finale with the Pirates.

Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

Schwarber drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before adding a solo blast in the eighth. The 33-year-old is hitting just .216 in 31 games since the All-Star break, but he's now gone deep five times over his past 12 contests. On the season, he's slashing .245/.363/.529 with a major-league-leading 38 long balls, 76 RBI, 75 runs scored and three steals across 555 plate appearances.

Ohtani (knee) threw a 30-pitch live batting practice session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

For the first time since making his last appearance as a pitcher July 3, Ohtani faced off against hitters in what marked a major milestone in his recovery from a lingering left knee issue and a more minor triceps injury. Manager Dave Roberts said afterward that Ohtani will likely need to throw one more live BP before getting cleared to pitch in games, but the two-way superstar doesn't seem to be too far away from doing so. Once he's eventually ready to start as a pitcher, Ohtani will likely be operating with a restricted workload and could need to be piggybacked.

Suarez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.

Suarez will receive a routine day of rest after being in the lineup for each of the previous 16 contests. Elly De La Cruz is getting a designated-hitter day, while Ke'Bryan Hayes will handle third base for the Reds.

Nootbaar entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in a 7-6 extra-inning victory over the Red Sox.

Nootbaar stepped in for Jordan Lawlar in the sixth inning and took Greg Weissert deep to give Arizona a 5-2 lead. It was Nootbaar's first homer since being acquired by the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. The former Cardinal entered the game having gone 5-for-35 (.143) with one RBI over the previous 11 contests in an Arizona uniform.

Tena went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's win over the Rangers.

Tena kicked off the scoring with a solo shot to straightaway center field in the third inning off righty Kumar Rocker. Tena sees most of his action as a designated hitter but got his second start of the season in left field Wednesday. The 25-year-old is slashing .233/.304/.393 with seven homers and 20 RBI in 206 at-bats this year against righties, against whom he gets most of his opportunities.