MLB Player News

Turner is out of Tuesday's lineup against Cincinnati, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Turner will get a breather after picking up a pair of hits in Monday night's win. With Turner riding the bench, Max Muncy will move to the hot corner, which opens up a spot at first base for David Freese.

Vogelbach is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Twins, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Vogelbach has batted his way into regular playing time, starting at designated hitter in eight of the last nine games, but will hit the bench against Indians righty Shane Bieber. Vogelbach is in a three-way timeshare with Edwin Encarnacion and Jay Bruce in the first base and DH spots. These three batters have each hit five or more homers to begin the year. Vogelbach has been impressive at the plate, posting a 1.318 OPS in 41 at-bats. The Mariners will find a way to put him in the lineup more often than not, particularly against righties.

Ohtani (elbow) won't be required to begin a rehab assignment but will instead face live pitching in simulated games, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani was cleared to begin live hitting after meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday, and general manager Billy Eppler has since revealed that Ohtani will take part in sim games instead of embarking on a rehab assignment. He remains in line for a return from the injured list sometime in May, according to Eppler.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a solo home run in a loss to the Brewers on Monday.

Ozuna did his best to try to bring the Cardinals back over his last two at-bats, singling home Matt Carpenter to knot the game at 6-6 in the sixth and then launching a 419-foot solo blast to left in the ninth. Ozuna has gone 8-for-17 with two doubles, an impressive four homers and eight RBI in his last four contests. The power surge has progressively put concerns about his surgically repaired shoulder to rest from an offensive perspective, though Ozuna is still diligently working to get his velocity and accuracy on throws back up to par.

The Yankees officially selected Ford's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.

New York announced the transaction shortly after George A. King III of the New York Post reported that Ford would receive his first big-league callup. The 26-year-old will assume the active roster spot of first baseman/designated hitter Greg Bird, who was placed on the 10-day injured list after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Bird had struggled mightily at the plate prior to getting hurt, so there could be an opportunity for Ford to stick around with the big club even if Bird's absence proves to be only a short-term situation. Ford slashed a modest .251/.326/.433 over 108 games in the minors in 2018 but has been one of the top hitters early on in the International League this season, amassing a 1.364 OPS over his first 45 plate appearances.

The Yankees plan to select Ford's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.

Ford has played almost exclusively at first base throughout his minor-league career, so his impending promotion could signal that the Yankees are planning to option Luke Voit or Greg Bird to the minors or to place one of the two on the injured list. Since Ford doesn't possess a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees will need to make a corresponding transaction later Tuesday before his callup is official. Ford has gotten off to a hot start in the International League this season, submitting a monstrous 1.364 OPS across 45 plate appearances.

Pederson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Monday's 4-3 win over the Reds.

His seventh blast of the year was a dramatic one, as he took Cincy closer Raisel Iglesias deep for a walkoff homer. Pederson now sports a .255/.382/.691 slash line through 17 games, and if the 26-year-old keeps raking, he won't have to worry about a potential timeshare with Alex Verdugo.

Reyes went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday's 5-2 loss to Colorado.

Reyes now has four homers this year, all coming in the last eight games. After an impressive 16 long balls in 261 at-bats last season, the 23-year-old slugger is currently operating on an even better pace despite his .222 batting average.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's 8-1 loss to the Orioles.

The double was the fifth in the last six games for Martinez, who extended his hit streak to six games and has reached base safely in all 17 games played. The Red Sox have under-performed thus far, but Martinez and the man who hits behind him, Xander Bogaerts, have been steady offensive contributors.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache determined Monday that Ohtani (elbow) can start to face live pitching, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

As expected, Ohtani was given the green light to participate in live hitting, and he'll do so beginning in one week. Dr. ElAttrache informed the Angels that Ohtani's elbow has healed to the point where hitting won't impede his pitching rehab, and there's a definite possibility that the two-way player could return sometime in May as a batter. "All is good," stated skipper Brad Ausmus. "Everything came back good. The doctor was pleased and he's going to continue his progression. If all goes well, next week he'll see live pitchers. As to where that happens, that's still to be determined."