MLB Player News

Ohtani (forearm) isn't expected to pitch again this season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old suffered a Grade 1-2 strain of the flexor pronator mass in his right forearm over the weekend, and manager Joe Maddon said, "I don't anticipate him pitching at all this year." Ohtani won't begin a throwing progression for at least 4-to-6 weeks, but he's still expected to serve as the team's primary designated hitter. However, he remains out of the lineup Tuesday as he continues to be evaluated, per Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times.

Brantley isn't in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

After tallying three hits in Sunday's win against the Angels, Brantley will play a bench role for the second time in the past three games. Kyle Tucker will shift to left field with Abraham Toro starting as the designated hitter, batting seventh.

MIller (ankle) was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Miller had been dealing with heel and ankle issues since early in camp. It's certainly a good time for him to get healthy, as the Cardinals placed six players on the injured list Tuesday amidst their coronavirus outbreak. That outbreak means the team won't be playing any games until Friday at the earliest, but Miller has a good chance to fill a somewhat significant role until his teammates get healthy.

Stanton went 0-for-2 with a walk, run scored, hit-by-pitch and stolen base in a victory over the Phillies on Monday.

Stanton isn't known for his speed on the basepaths, but he has registered as many as 13 stolen bases in a season in the majors (in 2014). While it's probably a stretch to expect the slugger to become a sudden source of steals, he did recently report losing 20 pounds since last season, and the theft Monday is a strong indication that the calf issue that dogged Stanton during spring training is long behind him.

The Mets placed Cespedes on the restricted list Sunday after he informed the team he was opting out of the 2020 season.

The transaction opened up spots on the Mets' 30-man active roster, 40-man roster and 60-man roster pool. Before opting out, Cespedes appeared in eight games for the Mets and went 5-for-31 with two home runs and four RBI.

Vogelbach went 0-for-2 with two walks in a loss to the Athletics on Monday.

It says plenty about what type of night it was when a two-walk tally ranks as one of a team's most productive performances, but Vogelbach's two instances on the basepaths made him one of only three Mariners to reach safely on multiple occasions Monday. The pair of walks also served to at least give Vogelbach and his fantasy managers a bit of a reprieve from the forgettable start to his season, and it followed a Sunday start in which he also plated his first run of the campaign with a single.

Canha went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk, another base on balls, a hit-by-pitch and a run in a win over the Mariners on Monday.

The veteran outfielder was able to plate runs in the fifth and seventh innings, his sixth and seventh RBI of the campaign. Canha also boosted his on-base percentage to a stellar .474 with his busy night, and he's one of the few Athletics to have enjoyed some success at the plate this season.

The Dodgers are considering having Pederson bat leadoff against right-handed starters, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Los Angeles has been employing a matchup-based lineup strategy throughout the season, with Max Muncy batting first against right-handed starters and Mookie Betts leading off against southpaws. However, Muncy has been struggling of late, going 2-for-16 over his last four games. Pederson took over the leadoff spot against right-hander Chris Paddack on Monday and promptly went deep on the first pitch of the contest for his first home run of the season. Pederson has had plenty of success as a leadoff hitter in the past -- he hit 17 leadoff homers between 2018 and 2019, including a franchise-record nine last season.

Contrary to a previous report, Ohtani is day-to-day as a hitter with a Grade 1-2 strain of the flexor pronator mass. He won't begin a throwing progression for at least 4-to-6 weeks.

It's safe to say he won't pitch in regular-season games again this season, but there had been a report from the Los Angeles Times earlier in the day that Ohtani would go forward as the primary designated hitter. He will be with the team for its road trip which starts Tuesday in Seattle, but it sounds like he is questionable for that game.

Ohtani (arm) will continue as the Angels' primary designated hitter going forward, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He is expected to be with the team when it opens a six-game trip in Seattle on Tuesday. Ohtani had an MRI on his right arm after Sunday's brief start in which his fastball dipped from its customary 95-96 mph range to 89 mph in his final pitches. It sounds like the Angels won't be deploying Ohtani as a pitcher anytime soon, but that isn't necessarily the worst development for his 2020 fantasy value, given his ineffectiveness on the mound this year and his upside as a hitter. He has a .281/.345/.528 slash line with 42 home runs and 23 steals in 228 MLB games, but his 32.1 percent strikeout rate and 3.6 percent walk rate in 28 plate appearances this season are career-worst marks.