MLB Player News
-
George Springer DH | TOR
Blue Jays' George Springer: Goes deep in loss
Springer went 2-for-5 with a solo homer in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees.
Springer saw the ball well against lefty Ryan Weathers, singling to lead off the game before taking him deep for a solo homer to give Toronto a 4-3 lead in the fifth. It was Springer's first homer since returning from the injured list April 29 and first since the Blue Jays' fourth game of the season on March 30. It snapped a personal 23-game homer-less drought for the 36-year-old, who had been 0-for-11 over his previous three games. On the season, Springer is slashing a disappointing .196/.277/.327 with three homers, nine RBI, 10 runs scored, one stolen base and an 11:23 BB:K across 120 trips to the plate.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Expects to bat on start day
Manager Dave Roberts stated that his plan is for Ohtani to start Wednesday's game against the Padres on the mound and hit, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Ohtani has been given the day off from batting in his last few opportunities as the starting pitcher in an effort to give him some extra rest early on in the 2026 campaign. However, it seems Roberts is comfortable with slotting Ohtani into the batting order Wednesday, especially with a day off looming Thursday. The star two-way player has been locked in at the dish lately, going 8-for-17 with one home run, eight RBI, one stolen base and five runs scored over his last four games.
-
Moises Ballesteros DH | LAA
Cubs' Moises Ballesteros: Fading into bench role
Ballesteros is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.
On the bench for a third straight matchup versus a right-handed starting pitcher (Brandon Sproat), Ballesteros appears to ceded the Cubs' primary designated-hitter role to Michael Conforto. After piling up 10 extra-base hits (five home runs, five doubles) through his first 25 games of the season, Ballesteros is slashing just .065/.137/.130 over his subsequent 14 contests.
-
Kyle Schwarber DH | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Contending with illness
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said that Schwarber is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds due to an illness, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Though Schwarber was probably due for a breather sooner or later after starting in each of the Phillies' 47 games of the season, his absence from the lineup isn't a planned rest day. At the same time, Mattingly didn't indicate that Schwarber's illness is an overly serious concern, so the slugger could be available to pitch hit Monday and potentially return to the lineup Tuesday. Bryce Harper will serve as the Phillies' designated hitter Monday in place of Schwarber.
-
Kyle Schwarber DH | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Receiving first day off of 2026
Schwarber is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
The Phillies haven't indicated that Schwarber is dealing with any sort of injury or illness coming out of their series in Pittsburgh over the weekend, so the slugger is presumably just getting a well-overdue day off while the Reds send lefty Nick Lodolo to the hill for the series opener. With Schwarber hitting the bench for the first time in 2026 starting in each of the Phillies' first 47 games, Bryce Harper will get a day off from playing first base and will occupy the designated-hitter spot.
-
Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Still not cleared for running
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton (calf) is doing "more dynamic stuff" but isn't yet ready to ramp up running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
It's not clear what the "dynamic stuff" Boone mentioned refers to, but Stanton's biggest obstacle remains being cleared to resume running. The veteran slugger had an MRI on his injured calf May 11, and that imaging showed that the injury is still lingering. Stanton's timeline to return is hazy given his continued inability to run, so fantasy managers shouldn't plan to have him in their lineups in the near future.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Trio of hits in win
Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Angels.
Ohtani capped off an incredibly productive weekend against his former club with a trio of singles, including a two-run knock to start the scoring in the Dodgers' five-run fourth inning. After posting an OPS north of 1.000 in each of the previous three seasons, the two-way superstar hasn't gotten off to an otherworldly start at the plate in 2026, though he has still been plenty effective. Through 201 plate appearances, Ohtani is slashing .258/.385/.454 with seven homers, nine doubles, a triple, 24 RBI, 30 runs and six stolen bases.
-
Jose Fernandez 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jose Fernandez: Snags fifth steal
Fernandez went 1-for-3 with one RBI and one stolen base in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Rockies.
Fernandez started all three games of this weekend series against the Rockies, going 4-for-12 with two RBI and two steals. Two of those starts came against right-handed pitchers, though Ketel Marte serving as designated hitter Saturday before resting Sunday likely factored into Fernandez's usage in the field. Through 127 plate appearances this year, Fernandez is hitting .275 with a .693 OPS, three home runs, five steals, 14 RBI and 20 runs scored. He'll play regularly against left-handed pitchers, but it doesn't look like he'll be strictly platooned when his hitting is good.
-
Salvador Perez DH | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Productive in win
Perez went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and a second RBI in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Cardinals.
Perez drove in the opening run with a first-inning sacrifice fly before adding a bit more oomph to hit a solo shot in the fourth. The catcher has two homers among seven hits over his last six games, a span in which he's batting .292 with four strikeouts. He's back above the Mendoza Line now, batting .205 with a .595 OPS, seven homers, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored and five doubles over 45 contests.
-
Mitch Garver C | SEA
Mariners' Mitch Garver: Good to go Sunday
Garver (back) is starting behind the plate and batting eighth Sunday against the Padres, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.
The veteran catcher was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to lower-back tightness, but he's back in the starting nine for Sunday's series finale. Garver has a .173/.348/.250 slash line in 66 plate appearances this year but is primed to see steady playing time for at least the near future with Cal Raleigh (oblique) on the injured list.