MLB Player News
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Left out of lineup in Devers' debut
Flores is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
With a .256 average, 11 home runs, 51 RBI and 31 runs over 70 games, Flores has been an excellent value for those that selected him late in drafts or scooped him off the waiver wire early on in the season, but his fantasy utility looks as though it could take a major hit after the Giants acquired Rafael Devers from the Red Sox on Sunday. Prior to Tuesday's contest, manager Bob Melvin made no mention of Devers being an option at third base while Matt Chapman (hand) is on the injured list, with the skipper noting that Devers will instead be used at designated hitter and eventually first base, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Flores' days as a third baseman also appear to be over at this point, and since Devers will be guaranteed an everyday spot in the lineup at DH until the Giants are comfortable having him play defense, Flores looks like he'll be vying with Dominic Smith for playing time at first base. Smith (.919 OPS) has gotten off to a nice start since signing with the Giants earlier this month and bats from the left side, so the right-handed-hitting Flores may end up having to settle for a short-side platoon role. Flores will be on the bench Tuesday while the Guardians send righty Slade Cecconi to the bump.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Giants' Rafael Devers: Expected to get look at first base
Manager Bob Melvin said that Devers -- who will start at designated hitter and bat third in his Giants debut Tuesday against the Guardians -- will also see some playing time at first base with his new team, Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. "Yeah, we talked to [Devers] a little bit and, like he said, he goes, 'I'll play wherever you want me to play. I'll hit wherever you want me to hit,'" Melvin said. "We're going to work with him and get him some groundballs at first and make sure he's comfortable before we put him over there, and that's pretty much the way we look at it right now -- little bit of DH and a little bit of first."
Devers refused to take reps at first base with Boston when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury in May, but after being shipped out to San Francisco in a stunning deal Sunday, the 28-year-old expressed a desire to make a positive first impression with his new organization and said through an interpreter Tuesday that he's "here to do whatever they want me to do," per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Aside from three innings at second base and three innings at shortstop, Devers has never played any position but third base during his career. He had served exclusively as a DH for Boston prior to being traded, and Melvin made no mention of the three-time All-Star moving back to his former position, even while Matt Chapman (hand) looks to be at least a couple weeks away from returning from the injured list. Instead, Devers looks as though he'll initially be used mostly at DH with the Giants, though the eventual plan is for him to take over as the club's everyday first baseman once the coaching staff feels he's capable of handling the position defensively.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Reaches 100.2 mph in pitching debut
Ohtani completed one inning in a no-decision during Monday's 6-3 win over the Padres, allowing one run on two hits with no walks or strikeouts. He also went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI as a hitter.
Thus begins the two-way Ohtani era in Los Angeles. While the revered superstar showed some rust in his Dodgers debut as a pitcher -- he threw just 16 of 28 pitches for strikes and allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, one of whom came around to score -- he also topped out at 100.2 miles per hour on his fastball and deployed four different pitch types. In addition, Ohtani -- who became the third National League player since 1900 to start a game as a pitcher and serve as his team's leadoff hitter -- plated more runs than he gave up, crushing an RBI double in the third inning and adding a run-scoring single in the fourth. It's important to remember that Ohtani's initial game appearances are the equivalent of what would be a minor-league rehab stint for most pitchers -- he hadn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2023 prior to Monday, but his status as a star hitter prevents him from going on an actual rehab assignment. With that in mind, it's probably going to take Ohtani several appearances to build up to a normal starter's workload, and he'll likely continue to work in the equivalent of an opener role in the short term. Per Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, the Dodgers plan on having Ohtani make starts as a pitcher every six or seven days, so he should be back on the mound for the final game of the Dodgers' homestand Sunday versus Washington.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Returning to lineup
O'Hearn (ankle) will start at first base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Rays.
O'Hearn missed the previous two contests after injuring his left ankle this past Friday, but he's ready to roll for Monday's series opener. Coby Mayo will retreat to the bench after starting the last two games at first base in O'Hearn's place.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: On bench against southpaw
Bell is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.
Though the switch-hitting Bell started in two of the Nationals' previous three matchups with left-handed hurlers, he'll hit the bench Monday as the Rockies send southpaw Carson Palmquist to the hill. James Wood will get a day off from playing the outfield and will assume Bell's usual duties as Washington's designated hitter.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Activated from 60-day IL
The Yankees activated Stanton (elbows) from the 60-day injured list Monday.
Stanton is set to make his season debut Monday versus the Angels following a long absence while recovering from tennis elbow in both arms. He should be the Yankees' primary designated hitter moving forward, which would leave fewer starts for Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Jasson Dominguez and Trent Grisham.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Set to make season debut Monday
Stanton (elbows) will be activated from the 60-day injured list and included in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
Stanton is finally set to make his season debut after recovering from tendinitis in both elbows. He might not play every day right away after a lengthy layoff, but Stanton is likely to see the bulk of the starts at designated hitter over the long haul. Stanton's arrival could leave fewer at-bats to go around for Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Jasson Dominguez and Trent Grisham.
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Jose Azocar RF | ATL
Braves' Jose Azocar: Booted from 40-man roster
Atlanta designated Azocar for assignment Monday.
The move frees up a spot on the active roster for the return of Stuart Fairchild (finger) from the 10-day injured list. Azocar will go through the waivers process, and if he clears, he'll have the ability to elect free agency.