MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) will begin to face live pitching in one week, assuming his visit to the doctor Monday went as planned, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

This is big news for Ohtani, as this latest update indicates he's nearing the final steps in his rehab. The Angels have yet to hear back about how his visit with the doctor went, although if all went according to plan, Ohtani will step into the batter's box against live hitting in a week. It's still unclear whether he'll do so in simulated games or while on a minor-league rehab stint.

Soler is on the bench for the first time this season Monday against the White Sox.

Soler has started nine games as a designated hitter and a further six in right field. Lucas Duda will fill the former position Monday, with Chris Owings in right field.

Winker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

Despite emerging as the Reds' hottest hitter with four home runs in his last five games, Winker will retreat to the bench with a tough lefty (Clayton Kershaw) on the mound for the Dodgers. Winker will continue to sit against southpaws every so often, but the 25-year-old should otherwise maintain a relatively stable role as the team's leadoff hitter.

Belt (neck) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Sunday in the Giants' 4-0 loss to the Rockies.

Like most of his Giants teammates, Belt couldn't muster any offense against Rockies starter German Marquez, who tossed a one-hit complete game. Belt at least proved his health by playing all nine innings a day after he was scratched from the lineup with a stiff neck.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a win over the Reds on Sunday.

Carpenter's 389-foot shot to left center in the seventh snapped a 4-4 tie and served as his first round tripper since March 31. The 33-year-old ramped up his hard contact over the two-game set in Monterrey, Mexico against the Reds, as he also laced his first triple of the campaign in Saturday's contest.

Soler went 1-for-4 with a home run and walk in a 9-8 victory against the Indians on Sunday.

The 27-year-old has been an all-or-nothing guy in 2019. He's always struggled with contact, but Soler leads the league with 24 strikeouts early this season. However, he also has nine extra-base hits, including four homers. Owners would like to see Soler make more contact, as he is hitting just .217, but he does possess a .500 slugging percentage with 13 RBI and seven runs in 60 at-bats.

Winker went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's 9-5 loss to St. Louis.

Make that four homers in the last five games for Winker, who started the season 1-for-24. All eight of his RBI this season have come in the last five games as well.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Reds.

Ozuna didn't hit his fifth homer until early June last season but has done it in just 51 at-bats this season. He started the day with a three-run shot in the first inning to give the Cardinals an early lead.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in the Dodgers' 7-1 win over the Brewers on Sunday.

Pederson continued his early-season power surge, blasting his sixth long ball of the season with this second-inning solo shot off Jhoulys Chacin. The 26-year-old has a 1.012 OPS through 51 at-bats, so he's off to a great start; however, his vast struggles against left-handed pitching he's demonstrated throughout his career mean he figures to continue to rotate out in matchups against southpaws.

Miller was designated for assignment by the Indians on Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the series finale.

Miller was booted from the roster to make room for the return of Jason Kipnis (calf), who's set to join the team in Seattle. Miller could conceivably get scooped up by another big-league team while on waivers, considering his versatility and the fact that he's gotten off to a decent start in 2019. He's batting .250 with a home run, four RBI and a stolen base over 13 games.