MLB Player News

Ohtani (elbow) threw 29 pitches in a simulated game Monday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

He faced both left-handed and right-handed hitters and the Angels said everything went well. This was a big step, as he had previously been throwing bullpen sessions. He continues to work toward a potential return to the mound in September. The next step could be a lengthier sim game or a rehab assignment.

Canha is out of the lineup against Texas on Monday.

Canha will take a seat for the second time in the past three days after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Sunday. In his absence, Ramon Laureano will start in center field and bat eighth.

Pederson is not in the lineup Monday versus St. Louis.

Pederson will hit the bench with left-hander Austin Gomber on the hill for the Cardinals. In his place, Enrique Hernandez will man center field and bat sixth.

Buxton has gone 8-for-20 with a home run, three doubles and a walk in four games since returning from Triple-A Rochester's 7-day disabled list.

Buxton was sidelined for about two weeks with a sore wrist before being activated Aug. 14. The outfielder's recent form at the dish suggests that the wrist is no longer presenting any issues, but the Twins will presumably want to see Buxton log more at-bats in the minors before considering a promotion to the big club. Expect him to get the call to Minnesota when rosters expand at September, at which point he could poach at-bats from the likes of Jake Cave and Robbie Grossman.

Turner went 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Sunday's 12-1 win over Seattle.

Turner now owns a 13-game hitting streak with eight multi-hit contests during that span, raising his season batting average to .305. The veteran third baseman has nine homers and 30 RBI through 223 at-bats this season after capping off Sunday's big win with a three-run blast in the ninth inning.

Pederson will sit against the left-handed Roenis Elias and the Mariners on Sunday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson did start against a southpaw on Friday but before that had sat against 17 straight lefties. Matt Kemp will start in left field Sunday, with Enrique Hernandez starting in center.

Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two runs in a win over the Brewers on Saturday.

A day after plating a pair of runs with a timely single, Ozuna was back at it again Saturday. His homer was his second of August, with both having come in the last four games. The veteran outfielder has now pushed his monthly average up to .304 with Saturday's production, which also afforded him his seventh RBI over his last eight contests.

Belt will start at first base and bat leadoff Sunday against the Reds, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

For the first time in his eight-year career in the big leagues, Belt will fill the table-setting role while normal leadoff man Andrew McCutchen shifts down to the three hole. It's unclear if manager Bruce Bochy plans to stick with Belt atop the lineup, but the 30-year-old's performance Sunday will likely have a say in the matter.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's "confident" Stanton will be available to start in the outfield during the club's two-game set in Miami that begins Tuesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic New York reports.

Stanton has been dealing with hamstring tightness for a little over a week, resulting in the Yankees deploying him exclusively at designated hitter for the club's past 11 games. It sounds like the injury is still affecting Stanton on some level, but the Yankees seem optimistic he'll be able to play the field without major limitations during the interleague matchup.

Martinez went 1-for-2 with a walk, a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Rays.

The steal leaves him one shy of the career-high six he posted in 2014, but it's just the cherry on top of the fantasy sundae he's been serving up in August -- Martinez sports a .404/.493/.860 slash line through 15 games on the month with six homers, 16 runs and 17 RBI. The 30-year-old now leads all of MLB in home runs (38) and RBI (106), and his .333 batting average is second only to teammate Mookie Betts' .346.