MLB Player News

Ohtani is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

After making back-to-back starts following his activation from the DL on Tuesday, Ohtani will get a rest day for the series finale. He went 0-for-4 in his first game back before notching a pair of base hits in Wednesday's tilt. He figures to return to the DH spot during the Angels' weekend series against the Dodgers.

Carpenter went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, two doubles, a walk and a run in a win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Carpenter turned in another one of his superior performances from the top of the order, generating his third multi-hit effort over the last nine games. The veteran infielder is hitting a scorching .469 (15-for-32) with six doubles, two home runs, four RBI, six walks and 10 runs over that span, a stretch that includes a 5-for-5 tally against the Indians on June 26. After seeing his average and slugging percentage dip as low as .199 and .370, respectively, as recently as May 23, Carpenter has boosted those figures to .263 and .509, a season-changing surge that shows no signs of abating.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Winker provided a game-tying, two-run single in the fourth inning and then later came around to score in the frame as Cincinnati went ahead to stay. The 24-year-old had a productive June, slashing .308/.432/.513 in the month, and is following that up with a strong start to July as well. In four games in the month, he's hitting .556 (5-for-9) with two doubles, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored.

Cespedes (hip) is set to resume baseball activities Thursday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes will move on to the next phase of his rehab after beginning a running progression Tuesday that consisted of the outfielder sprinting at about 75-percent speed for 60-yard bursts. He'll likely take batting practice, perform positional drills and do some baserunning over the next couple of days, with the Mets potentially mapping out a rehab assignment for him thereafter. The 32-year-old looks like he could be trending toward a return from the 10-day disabled list at some point shortly after the All-Star break.

Canha went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a win over the Padres on Tuesday.

Canha's 398-foot shot to left in the sixth capped a five-run comeback for the Athletics. The outfielder has somewhat quietly coaxed his season average up 18 points to .256 over the last 12 games, a stretch during which he's slashed .333/.426/.718 with seven extra-base hits (three doubles, four home runs) and 11 RBI. Canha currently sports a career-best .256/.332/.478 line, and he's now just five home runs away from equaling the career-high 16 he slugged over 253 additional plate appearances in his rookie 2015 campaign.

Ohtani (elbow) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Mariners on Tuesday in his first game back from the DL.

With lefty Wade LeBlanc on the mound for the Mariners, Ohtani was deployed as the Angels' No. 6 hitter Tuesday night. It's unclear if Ohtani will be able to pitch again this season, but he's scheduled to be evaluated again in the coming weeks. Without having to pitch in the near future, Ohtani's workload as the Angels' primary DH could increase from his usage in the first half of the season, but it remains to be seen if the elbow injury will have an impact on his output at the plate.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory over the Pirates.

Pederson homered for the second consecutive game, bringing his season total up to 13. The young slugger has looked a lot more like the strong power threat we saw in his first two major-league seasons. He's posting career-best marks in batting average (.266) and slugging percentage (.562) while maintaining strong on-base skills (.346). Pederson is currently situated on the strong side of a platoon in center field and also mans the leadoff spot in starts against right-handed pitchers.

Stanton was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a two-run home run and two strikeouts in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Braves.

Stanton has slowly but surely come around in 2018, although his 113 strikeouts in 322 at-bats still aren't pretty. The 28-year-old has a .267/.339/.509 slash line with 20 home runs and 48 RBI in 82 games this season.

Martinez went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a home run and four RBI in Tuesday's 11-4 win at Washington.

Martinez finished June with a .347/.425/.612 slash line with seven home runs and 20 RBI, and has shown no sign of slowing down. The 31-year-old leads the majors with 26 home runs and 71 RBI through 87 games.

Ohtani (elbow) was activated from the 10-day DL ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group reports.

Ohtani will immediately rejoin the starting lineup and bat sixth as the Angels' designated hitter Tuesday. Expect to see him in the lineup regularly since his injured elbow didn't impact any part of his swing during batting practice sessions or simulated games in recent weeks. In regards to pitching, the 23-year-old's status is still uncertain and he will be reevaluated in a couple weeks.