MLB Player News

Ohtani (knee) threw a bullpen session Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani threw 31 pitches in the session and used his entire repertoire. It's the first time he's thrown off the mound since having his left knee drained and treated with a cortisone shot over the All-Star break. The next step for Ohtani isn't clear, but it's expected to be a few weeks before he's ready to make a start on the mound. Ohtani will continue serving as the Dodgers' designated hitter.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Smith will retreat to the bench for the third game in a row, with his latter two absences coming while the Padres have sent right-handed starting pitchers to the hill. The 31-year-old has held down a strong-side platoon role for much of the season, but he's been squeezed for playing time in the wake of Mike Yastrzemski's return from the injured list. The lesser role comes while Smith has provided a poor .468 OPS over 13 games since the start of July, though he could still see at least semi-regular starts until Ronald Acuna (hamstring) completes his rehab assignment.

Soler is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Soler drove in two runs in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals, but he's put up a .472 OPS with no home runs across his last 18 games. The Angels will give Jo Adell a day at designated hitter, and Wade Meckler will grab a start in the outfield.

Suarez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Suarez will receive a breather while the Reds wrap up their series in Seattle with a day game after a night game. Nathaniel Lowe will serve as the Reds' designated hitter Wednesday, while Ke'Bryan Hayes gets the nod at third base.

Polanco will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Though he'll be included in the starting nine for the series finale, Polanco has cracked the Mets' lineup just three times in the last seven games. Since he's not yet cleared to play first base since making his return from a lengthy stay on the shelf due to Achilles and ankle injuries, Polanco will be limited to the DH spot. The Mets may be more inclined to rotate players at DH rather than leaning on Polanco as the primary option, especially while he's mustered a lowly .489 OPS through 21 games on the season.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

Lowe homered for the third time over his last four games. He's added six RBI in that span. The first baseman could get a boost in playing time as long as Spencer Steer (ribs) is out of the lineup. Lowe is batting .249 with an .815 OPS, 12 homers, 31 RBI, 23 runs scored and 13 doubles over 235 plate appearances this season.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

Suarez went yard off Luis Castillo in the fourth inning to put the Reds up 2-0. This was Suarez's fifth homer in his last 11 games, though he's gone a modest 9-for-41 (.220) with a 3:21 BB:K in that span. The veteran slugger is hitting .208 with a .682 OPS, 13 homers, 37 RBI, 26 runs scored, 11 doubles and no stolen bases over 72 contests in the first year of his second stint with Cincinnati.

Diaz went 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 12-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Diaz singled and scored in the fourth inning before launching a three-run blast in the ninth. The 34-year-old has batted just .219 through 17 July contests, but he's hit safely in three of four games since the All-Star break, including back-to-back two-hit efforts. On the year, he's slashing .312/.388/.476 with 14 homers, 60 RBI, 55 runs scored and two steals across 423 plate appearances.

Yelich is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

The Mets are starting a left-hander in Zac Thornton, offering the Brewers a chance to get the lefty-swinging Yelich off his feet for a day. William Contreras will be used in the designated hitter spot, and Gary Sanchez will do the catching.

Smith is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

The veteran unsurprisingly remained on the bench Monday with lefty JP Sears taking the mound for San Diego, but Smith's absence Tuesday is coming against righty Walker Buehler. Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter in his return from the injured list.