MLB Player News

Ohtani will serve as the Angels' designated hitter against the Rangers on Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani was not in the Angels' lineup Tuesday as they faced left-hander Martin Perez -- although he did ground out in a pinch hit appearance -- but will return as the designated hitter for Wednesday's matchup against left-hander Matt Moore. The 23-year-old will next take the mound Sunday against the Royals, which will allow him to potentially be in the lineup for the first three games of the series in Kansas City as well.

Pederson practiced fielding grounders at first base Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

While the Dodgers don't have any immediate plans to deploy Pederson at first base, the team could explore the option if Cody Bellinger is unavailable to play at some point. Pederson has appeared in six games since the start of the season, going 2-for-15 (.133) with two walks.

Blackmon was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to quad tightness.

The team has yet to indicate if Blackmon is dealing with a serious injury, although it's possible that pulling him from Tuesday's lineup was a precautionary measure as he recently dealt with a bout of back tightness. With Blackmon out, Mike Tauchman will start in center field while DJ LeMahieu moves up to the leadoff spot.

Ohtani's next start on the mound will come Sunday against the Royals, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Both of Ohtani's previous two turns have fallen on Sundays, with his last outing representing arguably the top performance by a pitcher this season. Ohtani carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of the Angels' victory over the Athletics, striking out 12 batters along the way. The rookie will draw a favorable matchup in his upcoming appearance, as the Royals rank 29th in the league in runs scored with 26 over eight games.

Turner (wrist) said Tuesday that he still hasn't swung a bat, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner is apparently still feeling some "tenderness" in his broken left wrist, so the Dodgers are playing it safe and keeping him from swinging a bat until he's pain-free. The 33-year-old is still unsure when he'll be ready to swing, leaving his return timetable muddled. For now, he remains hopeful to return sometime in May.

Ohtani has been battling blisters since the spring but doesn't consider them to be an issue, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani's 2.08 ERA and 18:2 K:BB back up the idea that his blisters are currently a non-issue. Reports of blisters are always potentially worrisome, though, as they can often linger and derail large portions of seasons for pitchers. Rich Hill, Johnny Cueto and Aaron Sanchez all notably battled blisters last season and either missed time or saw their performance decline. For now, there's little reason to worry about Ohtani, and the team is sure to be very careful with their young superstar.

Ohtani is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels have made it clear that Ohtani won't hit the day before or after he pitches, though he was expected to be in the lineup on most other days. Tuesday appears to be an exception, possibly because the Angels face the left-handed Martin Perez. Ohtani also sat against a lefty in the second game of the season, the only other time the Angels have faced a southpaw. They'll face another lefty Wednesday in Matt Moore, so if Ohtani sits again, he'll miss out on the chance to test his power at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park.

Winker (illness) is leading off and playing right field Tuesday against the Phillies.

Winker was held out of the starting nine Monday due to an illness, but he wound up making a pitch-hit appearance in the contest. It seems like the day off was what he needed to get back to 100 percent, so he'll resume his expanded role in the Reds' outfield while Scott Schebler (elbow) is sidelined.

Jimenez (pectoral) went 0-for-4 in an extended spring training game against the Reds on Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez continues to progress on schedule as he works his way back from a strained left pectoral muscle. The 21-year-old will continue to get at-bats in extended spring training games until he's able to play without restriction, at which point he'll report to Double-A Birmingham.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a two-run single and a double in a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Brewers on Monday.

Ozuna's torrid April continues, as he's now hit safely in all eight games of the month, with four of those outings of the multi-hit variety. Surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of his hits have been singles, with only three going for extra bases (a pair of doubles and a home run). Nevertheless, given Ozuna's past body of work and the fact he's clearly seeing the ball well in the early going, the more impactful hits figure to come sooner rather than later.