MLB Player News

Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Ozuna will retreat to the bench Thursday after going just 2-for-13 with an RBI and six strikeouts through the first three games of the series. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the Pirates' designated hitter in Ozuna's stead, opening up left field for Jhostynxon Garcia.

Soler revealed Wednesday that he's able to run only at 60-to-70 percent due to a groin injury that popped up "a few days ago," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The injury cost the Angels on Wednesday, as Soler was forced out at second base in the second inning on a play he normally would've beaten out had he been healthy. Soler is back in the Angels' lineup Thursday in Detroit, and manager Kurt Suzuki indicated he has no plans to rest the designated hitter, noting of Soler's injury that "there's always these things you go through." The 34-year-old has exactly one hit in each of his last seven starts, though six of those hits have been singles.

Yoshida is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com

Yoshida will sit out of Thursday's lineup since left-hander Chris Sale is taking the mound for Atlanta. Boston will opt to go with Andruw Monasterio as the DH, batting fifth. Yoshida has only recorded 16 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this season and has a .200/.250/.333 slash line in that split.

Ohtani (5-2) allowed one run on zero hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Rockies. He also went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the 4-1 victory.

Ohtani was actually a little shaky with his command, throwing just 56 of 99 pitches for strikes. The Rockies were able to take advantage for one run in the fourth inning but ultimately didn't get a hit off the two-way superstar. Ohtani may have been bothered a bit by the hit-by-pitch he suffered Tuesday, though it wasn't enough to cause him to be scratched from the lineup or his start. On the mound this season, he continues an elite campaign that has seen him pitch to a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB over 55 innings through nine starts, including just three runs allowed on 11 hits, eight walks and two hit batsmen over 25 innings in May. He's also 18-for-47 (.383) with three homers and 14 RBI over his last 13 contests, and he's up to a .269/.400/.482 slash line with nine homers, 30 RBI, 36 runs scored and six stolen bases over 55 games. Ohtani's next pitching start is projected to be at Arizona.

Pederson went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and a third run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.

Pederson and opposing designated hitter Yordan Alvarez stole the show, each hitting two homers in the contest. Pederson has gone 10-for-23 (.435) with three homers and six RBI over his last eight games. He's now batting .250 with a .791 OPS, six long balls, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 51 contests this season. The 34-year-old should continue to fill a strong-side platoon role at DH while routinely hitting leadoff when in the lineup.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Alvarez has feasted on Texas pitching in this series, going 6-for-12 with five homers and eight RBI over the last three games. He's recorded his two multi-homer games of the year over the last two contests and is up to 20 long balls on the year. The slugger is batting .312 with a 1.085 OPS, 39 RBI, 36 runs scored, one stolen base and 11 doubles across 56 games in what has started out as an MVP-caliber season.

Soto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during the Mets' 4-2 win against the Reds on Wednesday.

Soto started the game batting third and launched a homer to right in his first plate appearance against Andrew Abbott in the first inning. The blast marked Soto's 12th home run of the season and sixth in his past eight games. The All-Star is now slashing .301/.392/.594 over 39 games played after his recent hot streak.

Ohtani is in the lineup at DH for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was uncertain to work as both a pitcher and hitter leading up to Wednesday's contest, especially after he got hit on the hand by a pitch Tuesday, but manager Dave Roberts confirmed before the game that the 31-year-old superstar would get a chance to show off his two-way skills. With a .270/.403/.471 slash line through 236 plate appearances, Ohtani has had a down year offensively by his standards, but he's made up for it on the mound by posting a ridiculous 0.73 ERA and 0.84 WHIP alongside a 54:13 K:BB through 49 innings.

Ballesteros will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Just when he appeared to have ceded primary DH duties to Michael Conforto, Ballesteros has re-emerged to take back playing time at that spot in the lineup. Ballesteros will be awarded a fifth consecutive start after going 2-for-9 with a 5:3 BB:K and a run scored over the previous four contests. The Cubs will still look to shield Ballesteros from left-handed pitching, but he could continue to see the bulk of the starts at DH versus righties if he can continue to get on base at a steady clip.

The Rangers designated McCutchen for assignment Wednesday.

McCutchen will give up his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to infielder Nicky Lopez, whom the Rangers signed to a one-year contract. After joining Texas late in spring training on a minor-league deal, the 39-year-old McCutchen was able to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster but proceeded to hit just .192/.277/.260 with a career-worst 26.5 percent strikeout rate in 83 plate appearances. Given McCutchen's struggles with Texas this season along with the fact that he's best suited as a designated hitter rather than a corner outfielder at this stage of his career, the five-time All-Star may not be able to find another opportunity at the big-league level.