MLB Player News

Ward is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Ward started the past four games after missing the previous five contests due to quadriceps soreness, and he'll check out of the starting nine Sunday to get some scheduled rest. Dominic Canzone is serving as the designated hitter while Victor Robles starts in right field.

Gasper is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Though he'll head to the bench while southpaw Matt Wilkinson starts for the Giants, the switch-hitting Gasper looks to have moved into a regular role as the Red Sox's designated hitter versus right-handed pitching since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester a week ago. While starting in each of Boston's last five games, Gasper went 5-for-15 with three home runs, one double, two walks, eight RBI and three runs.

Jones (hip) will serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter and leadoff batter in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Jones will re-enter the lineup for the first time since Aug. 8. Though he's typically been a regular part of the starting nine against left-handed pitching, Jones has seen limited playing time over the past two weeks while the Red Sox have faced a right-handed-heavy pitching schedule. Jones also missed out on starting against a lefty in Monday's win over the Diamondbacks while he dealt with hip tightness, but he cleared up any concern about his health by making a cameo off the bench two days later.

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

Pederson will head to the bench along with Evan Carter and Nicky Lopez while the Angels send southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the bump. Logan O'Hoppe will cover the DH spot and bat seventh.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani (knee) could pitch in a game as early as next week, Dylan Hernandez of the California Post reports.

The right-hander threw 30 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, and he'll have one more bullpen session or live batting practice session on the schedule during the Dodgers' upcoming series in Atlanta before a decision is made whether he's ready for game action, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. Ohtani -- who hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since July 3 due to knee issues and a right biceps injury -- was in the midst of a dominant campaign on the mound with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 95:26 K:BB across 85.2 innings. He's continued to be a force at the plate with a .935 OPS through 20 games in August and is batting leadoff, as usual, in Sunday's series finale with the Pirates.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a run scored during Saturday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

Perez connected for only his second long ball of the month and his first since Aug. 1 on Saturday. The 36-year-old extended his hitting streak to a modest four games and has picked up at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. This year, Perez is slashing .220/.265/.373 with 17 homers and 57 RBI in 504 plate appearances.

Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

Schwarber drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before adding a solo blast in the eighth. The 33-year-old is hitting just .216 in 31 games since the All-Star break, but he's now gone deep five times over his past 12 contests. On the season, he's slashing .245/.363/.529 with a major-league-leading 38 long balls, 76 RBI, 75 runs scored and three steals across 555 plate appearances.

Springer went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.

The veteran slugger gave the Blue Jays a quick lead with an RBI single in the first inning, which they never relinquished. Springer has multiple hits in three of his last five games, an impressive turnaround after he'd gone 14 straight contests without a multi-hit showing. He's still looking for his first home run in August, batting .262 (16-for-61) on the month with two doubles, a triple, three steals, seven runs and seven RBI over 20 games.

Ohtani (knee) threw a 30-pitch live batting practice session Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

For the first time since making his last appearance as a pitcher July 3, Ohtani faced off against hitters in what marked a major milestone in his recovery from a lingering left knee issue and a more minor triceps injury. Manager Dave Roberts said afterward that Ohtani will likely need to throw one more live BP before getting cleared to pitch in games, but the two-way superstar doesn't seem to be too far away from doing so. Once he's eventually ready to start as a pitcher, Ohtani will likely be operating with a restricted workload and could need to be piggybacked.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton sustained a moderate left calf while running the bases Thursday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Stanton has been on the injured list since April 28 due to a strained right calf, but his other calf is now the bigger concern after he strained it while falling down during his most recent baserunning session. The Yankees haven't yet ruled out a return for Stanton later this season, but Boone admitted that it will be difficult for the veteran slugger to return before the end of the campaign as a result of his latest setback.