MLB Player News

Springer (shoulder) will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Springer will make his return to the starting nine after a tight left shoulder kept him on the bench for the Blue Jays' final two games of their weekend series in Philadelphia. The 36-year-old was able to make an appearance as a pinch runner in Saturday's 7-5 win in 11 innings, and the shoulder issue apparently is no longer inhibiting him at the plate either.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani (knee/biceps) is scheduled to play catch Monday for the second time in three days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Ohtani served as the Dodgers' designated hitter in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Before playing catch out to 90 feet Saturday, Ohtani had been shut down from throwing for approximately two weeks due to lingering soreness and inflammation in his left knee as well as a right biceps issue, which cropped up during his last bullpen session July 22. The two-way superstar reported no issues coming out of Saturday's catch session and is set to repeat the activity Monday, but Roberts wouldn't provide a timeline for when Ohtani might get back on a mound, terming it as a "day-by-day" decision. The Dodgers are planning on Ohtani being part of their rotation in the postseason, and while he's still expected to resume pitching in games before the end of the regular season, he may not be ready to handle a traditional starting role and could instead be deployed as more of an opener while he gradually builds up his pitch count.

Diaz went 4-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Mariners.

Diaz and Chandler Simpson led the way with four hits apiece as the Rays used small ball effectively in this win. While Diaz has hit safely in just three of his seven games in August, those three performances have included multiple hits. He's 8-for-32 (.250 batting average) with two RBI this month, and he's batting .298 with an .821 OPS, 15 home runs, 65 RBI, 62 runs scored, 20 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases through 112 contests overall.

Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, four total RBI and three walks in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays.

Schwarber opened the scoring in the third inning with a three-run, opposite-field blast off Shane Bieber before extending the lead to 4-2 with a 448-foot solo shot in the fifth. The two-homer game snapped an extended power drought for Schwarber, who had gone 17 games without a long ball -- he went just 10-for-57 (.175) with three RBI in that span. Schwarber is now slashing .247/.369/.535 through 503 plate appearances this season with 68 RBI, 68 runs scored and 35 home runs, tied with Yordan Alvarez for the most in the majors.

Nootbaar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

The veteran outfielder started all five games since being acquired from the Cardinals on Monday, but he'll hit the bench Sunday with lefty Justin Wrobleski taking the mound for Los Angeles. Nootbaar has opened his time with the Diamondbacks by going 3-for-17 with four walks, a double, one RBI and one run scored. He's unlikely to see significant action against left-handed pitching over the rest of the season.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

After going 1-for-7 with a home run and two RBI as the designated hitter in the first two contests of the series, Pederson will head to the bench against lefty Cade Povich. Corey Seager will get a break from playing shortstop but will stay in the lineup at DH.

Grichuk will start in left field and bat cleanup in Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Grichuk will enter the lineup for the third time in four games, but each of those starts have come against left-handed pitching. The 34-year-old is slashing a scintillating .288/.336/.568 with seven home runs over 119 plate appearances against lefties for the season, but his .207/.203/.397 line against righties keeps him on the short side of a platoon.

Benintendi is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

The left-handed-hitting Benintendi will head to the bench for the third time in the last four games, with each of those absences coming against southpaw starters. With Benintendi out of the lineup, Colson Montgomery will receive a turn as the White Sox's designated hitter.

Yelich is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Yelich started the previous six games but will hit the bench Sunday after going 4-for-23 with eight strikeouts during that span. William Contreras is resting his legs as the designated hitter, which allows Gary Sanchez to pick up a start behind the plate.

Polanco is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Polanco served as the designated hitter for the first two games of the series, but he'll cede those duties to Brett Baty in the finale. Since being activated from the 60-day injured list July 7, Polanco has yet to start more than two consecutive games and has put together a wretched .097/.138/.177 slash line with one home run, three RBI and four runs.