MLB Player News

Ohtani was in the lineup at designated hitter for the Angels on Wednesday and went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and two runs scored in a 13-2 romp over Cleveland.

As if there weren't enough intrigue surrounding the dual-threat sensation, Ohtani wasted no time adding to the hype with Wednesday's first-inning three-run blast off Josh Tomlin that capped a six-run opening frame for Los Angeles. The offensive breakout came on the heels of a strong first outing on the mound where he picked up the win against Oakland on Sunday. It remains to be seen if Ohtani can consistently put up performances like that in both of these roles at the major-league level, but so far he's giving fantasy owners every reason to dream about the possibilities.

Ohtani is serving as the Angels' DH and hitting eighth Tuesday against the Indians.

For the second time since the start of the season, Ohtani will be in the Angels' lineup as a hitter. In his first outing, Ohtani went 1-for-5 and struck out once.

Soler went 0-for-2 with an RBI in the Royals' 1-0 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

With both teams getting quality pitching from their respective staffs and the cold weather in Detroit stifling offensive production, Soler's second-inning sacrifice fly proved to be the difference maker in the matinee affair. Soler is still looking for his first hit of the season and should have plenty of opportunity to get dialed in at the plate with the suspension of Jorge Bonifacio and injuries to Salvador Perez (knee) and Lucas Duda (hamstring) leaving the 26-year-old as one of the top power bats remaining in a weak lineup.

Ohtani will next take the mound Sunday against Oakland.

The Angels are clearly being cautious with their prized young starter. They're attempting to keep him on a similar schedule to that which he was on in Japan, where teams use a six-man rotation and have one day off every week, meaning that starters pitch every seven days. They may end up using the rest of their starters as normally as possible, which would mean J.C. Ramirez could start Saturday on four days' rest and jump Ohtani in the rotation. If Ohtani does remain on a schedule which sees him pitching every Sunday, he might have zero two-start weeks the entire season and will have a ceiling of 27 starts or so.

Belt is not in the lineup for Tuesday's home opener against the Mariners, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Buster Posey slides over to first base in Belt's place, with Nick Hundley receiving his first start behind the plate. The Giants face lefty Marco Gonzales on Tuesday, but there's no risk of Belt being platooned, as he started against the first three lefties the Giants faced this season. The move is likely a simple attempt to keep Posey's legs fresh while keeping his bat in the lineup and has little to do with Belt himself.

Vogelbach figures to be the Mariners' primary designated hitter while Nelson Cruz (ankle) is out, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The burly first baseman has yet to get a hit in five regular-season at-bats, but he absolutely raked during spring training. He bashed seven homers and drove in 15 runs in Cactus League play, so he could be a cheap source of power for the next week if he can continue that hot streak. He may not see starts over the next couple games since the Mariners are playing in a National League park, however. Vogelbach's run of regular playing time seems likely to end around April 11 when Cruz is eligible to return to the lineup.

Miller is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller will sit against the left-handed Jordan Montgomery, as he's expected to do against many southpaws this season. C.J. Cron will play first base in his place.

Harper went 1-for-2 with four walks, a three-run home run and two additional runs scored in Monday's 8-1 win over the Braves.

The 25-year-old superstar is absolutely locked in at the plate to begin the season. Not only does Harper have three homers and seven RBI through four games, he's drawn six walks and has yet to strike out. It's no wonder Atlanta's organist greeted him with the Imperial March from Star Wars when he came to the plate Monday. With a massive free-agent payday awaiting him in the offseason, Harper has all the incentive he needs to post huge numbers in 2018.

Buxton went 0-for-4 and struck out twice Monday in Minnesota's loss to the Pirates.

Buxton has yet to find his groove at the plate, as he's gone 3-for-15 (.200) with six strikeouts over four games. However, he's been a threat when he's managed to reach base and has collected two stolen bases. After hitting .300 with an .893 OPS after the All-Star break last season, Buxton will have plenty of opportunities to continue improving as the season goes on.

Brantley (ankle) could be activated from the DL for Friday's game against the Royals, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After playing in a minor-league game Tuesday, Brantley's ankle will be reevaluated. If he's in full health, it's possible that he could rejoin the big club for Cleveland's home-opener Friday. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Indians were cautious with Brantley, as the 30-year-old had an injury-filled 2017 season and played in just 90 games.