MLB Player News

Ohtani was removed from Tuesday's start against the Padres due to a blister on his right middle finger.

The Angels specified Ohtani was removed as the pitcher, so he's still able to serve as the team's designated hitter Tuesday. Ohtani had been dealing with a cracked fingernail on the same finger during his previous start, but he was able to continue hitting between mound appearances. He's not scheduled to make another start until after the All-Star break, so it's possible his playing time as both a hitter and pitcher don't take much of a hit.

Ohtani was pulled from his start Tuesday against the Padres with an apparent injury, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

After Ohtani gave up back-to-back homers to Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth in the sixth inning, Angels trainers came out to take a look at his cracked fingernail -- the same thing that caused Ohtani to leave his previous start June 27. More updates on his status will come shortly, but fantasy managers should consider Ohtani day-to-day in the meantime.

McCutchen is back in the lineup Tuesday versus the Dodgers.

McCutchen sat out of Monday's series opener after going 0-for-8 with two strikeouts in the final two games of the Pirates' three-game weekend set against the Brewers. He is serving as Pittsburgh's designated hitter and leadoff man Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Brantley has been shut down from baseball activities due to continued issues with his surgically repaired right shoulder, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Brantley's recovery had plateaued and now the club has made the decision to shut him down for a while. The 36-year-old had shoulder labrum surgery last August and has experienced numerous setbacks on his road to recovery. His timetable to return is open-ended.

Ford went 2-for-3 with a walk in a win over the Giants on Monday.

While Ford didn't connect for anything more impactful than a single, his performance is noteworthy in that it extends what has been a torrid stretch at the plate for the journeyman. Factoring in Monday's production, the slugger owns a .391 average, 1.114 OPS, two home runs, six RBI, three walks and three runs over his last eight games, a stretch during which he's also produced three multi-hit efforts and a refreshingly modest 19.2 percent strikeout rate.

Pederson is hitting .161 with a .333 OBP and one extra-base hit (a triple) over his last 10 games.

He remains a staple in the top four spots of the lineup against right-handed pitching while sitting against all southpaws. Pederson is hitting .245/.373/.447 with eight home runs in 51 games this season. His 22.8 percent strikeout rate is his lowest mark since 2019, while his 15 percent walk rate is the best mark he has posted since 2015.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Guardians.

The veteran slugger drove a first-pitch fastball from Gavin Williams over the right-center field wall in the fourth inning. The solo shot extended Ozuna's hitting streak to 13 games, a stretch in which he's slashing .288/.351/.558 with four homers and 10 RBI. After stumbling out of the gate with a .397 OPS in April and looking like his roster spot could be in jeopardy, Ozuna has completely turned things around and delivered a .966 OPS since the beginning of May.

Pederson is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against Seattle, freelance writer Henry Schulman reports.

Pederson will get another day off with the Giants set to face off against southpaw Bryan Woo. Michael Conforto will fill the designated hitter slot with Pederson sitting.

McCutchen is not in the starting lineup Monday against the Dodgers.

McCutchen will take a seat after he went 3-for-13 with a homer, a double, three RBI and three strikeouts over the three-game series with Milwaukee. Bryan Reynolds will slot in at designated hitter while Josh Palacios enters the lineup in left field and bats leadoff versus Los Angeles.

The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Monday. He'll serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Monday's series opener in Miami.

Baker was up with the Cardinals for a couple weeks last month but played sparingly, with most of his limited opportunities coming against left-handed pitching. St. Louis is slated to face a few southpaws this week, so he could see a handful of starts before the All-Star break.