MLB Player News

Boston optioned Gasper to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

With both Trevor Story (abdomen) and Roman Anthony (finger) returning from the injured list, Gasper will wind up losing his spot on the 26-man active roster. The demotion comes even though Gasper had been running hot at the plate since being recalled from Triple-A on Aug. 16; over the last two weeks, he slashed .423/.595/1.115 with five home runs, three doubles, nine walks, 12 RBI and six runs in 11 games.

Suarez went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's 17-5 loss to the Cubs.

Suarez jumped on a Kevin Gausman fastball up in the zone for his 20th home run of the season. He's recorded at least 20 homers in 10 of his last 11 seasons, with the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign being the outlier. After he was placed on outright waivers last week, there were no takers for Suarez, so he rejoined the Reds and should remain with the club through the end of the season.

Eldridge went 4-for-5 with four RBI in a 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.

Eldridge went 0-for-2 with two walks in the matinee before putting his bat to good use in the nightcap. He's reached base safely in eight straight games, going 12-for-30 (.400) with five walks and nine strikeouts in that span. The 21-year-old is batting .261 with an .804 OPS, 15 home runs, 42 RBI, 43 runs scored, 17 doubles and one stolen base over 91 contests this season.

Rice went 2-for-9 with a run and three RBI over both games of Saturday's doubleheader split with Boston.

Rice went a quiet 0-for-4 in Game 1, but he bounced back with a 2-for-5 performance in the nightcap. His RBI single in the third inning of that game produced New York's first run of the twin bill, and Rice added a two-run single to cap the scoring in the eighth. The All-Star slugger struggled through most of August but has been heating up of late, batting .357 (10-for-28) with a home run, two doubles, six runs and six RBI over his past seven games.

Nootbaar went 1-for-1 with a grand slam in a 7-1 win over the Giants in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.

Nootbaar wasn't in the starting lineup for the matinee, but he delivered the game's biggest hit off the bench as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. He also went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk in the nightcap, which the Diamondbacks lost 7-2. Nootbaar has hit safely in his last four games, going 6-for-12 with four extra-base hits and six RBI in that span. For the season, he's batting .233 with a .714 OPS, six homers, 12 doubles, one triple, 27 RBI, 29 runs scored and two stolen bases over 68 contests between Arizona and St. Louis.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a sacrifice fly in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Mets.

Alvarez produced both of the Astros' runs, opening the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first inning before adding a solo shot in the eighth. The long ball was just his second in 25 August games, though he still owns a .919 OPS during that stretch. The 29-year-old nears the final month of the regular season eyeing the American League Triple Crown, leading in batting average (.320), homers (37) and RBI (93) to go along with 90 runs scored and a stolen base across 588 plate appearances.

Benintendi went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Twins.

The veteran outfielder was responsible for almost all of the Chicago offense in the contest. Benintendi recorded the team's only three hits and both its RBI, and Sam Antonacci -- who drew a walk to lead off the game and then came home on a single -- was the only other White Sox player to cross the plate. Benintendi's got a long history of doing damage at Target Field, and in 46 career games at the Twins' home park he's produced a .351/.407/.632 slash line with 14 homers.

Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Ohtani (knee/biceps) won't pitch in Sunday's series finale against Detroit or Tuesday against the Cardinals, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.

The Dodgers skipper said before Saturday's game against the Tigers that the team was less sure Ohtani would pitch Sunday after he didn't feel well coming out of his bullpen session Friday, and now he has officially been ruled out to pitch in either of Los Angeles' next two games. Roberts noted that the team hasn't decided whether to completely shut Ohtani down from pitching, though there is no planned return date for his next mound appearance. Tyler Glasnow will take the mound to begin Sunday's series finale, and Eric Lauer will likely get the nod to start Tuesday.

Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Ohtani (knee) isn't feeling 100 percent following his bullpen session Friday, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for a one-inning start Sunday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Roberts said that Ohtani's "total body" isn't quite healthy, including his left knee and a right biceps issue that has been bothering him since July. The two-way star is still expected to take the mound in a game at some point within the next week, though his next couple of outings will likely be relatively short as he builds up his workload.

Gasper isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

Gasper has appeared in 10 straight games since coming up from the minors Aug. 16, but he'll move to the bench to begin the first half of Saturday's events. Jahmai Jones will serve as Boston's designated hitter and bat leadoff.