MLB Player News

Arraez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two stolen bases in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Arraez had been a little quiet at the plate recently, going just 2-for-19 over his previous five games. The pair of steals were his first thefts since July 21 versus the Marlins. Arraez is at a .291/.327/.399 slash line with six home runs, seven steals, 46 RBI, 52 runs scored, 26 doubles and four triples through 118 contests. He remains on pace to exceed 30 two-baggers for the fourth year in a row.

Merrill (ankle) was removed from Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in the bottom of the fourth inning, Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego reports.

Merrill rolled his left ankle in Friday's loss to Los Angeles, which apparently got progressively worse over the weekend, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The outfielder said following Sunday's contest that "it's frustrating" and that "hopefully, I play tomorrow if I wake up, and it feels brand new, but I can't really say anything right now." Manager Mike Shildt classified Merrill as day-to-day for the time being, placing some doubt on his availability for Monday's series opener with the Giants.

Laureano went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Laureano contributed to the Padres' comeback effort with his fifth-inning homer off Tyler Glasnow. The outfielder has been steady for San Diego since coming over from Baltimore at the trade deadline, batting .339 with four homers and 12 RBI over 15 games with his new team. On the year, Laureano is at a strong .298/.364/.556 slash line with 19 long balls, 58 RBI, 56 runs scored and five stolen bases through 97 contests.

Darvish allowed four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over four innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Sunday.

Darvish was tagged for all four runs in the first inning, with Freddie Freeman launching a three-run shot and Andy Pages following with a solo homer. Over his eight starts this season, Darvish has allowed just six homers, all of which have been in his last five outings. He's fallen short of the five-inning mark five times so far, and his 5.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 34:13 K:BB through 37.2 innings offer little confidence. The 39-year-old is tentatively projected for a home rematch against the Dodgers in his next start, which may be a matchup for fantasy managers to avoid.

Freeland went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Freeland's major-league career started well, but he's gone just 2-for-25 with seven walks and 10 strikeouts over his last 10 games. He's still seeing a decent share of playing time as the Dodgers try to plug holes in an infield missing Max Muncy (oblique), Tommy Edman (ankle) and Enrique Hernandez (elbow). Sunday's steal was the first of Freeland's career, and he's batting .167 with two RBI and six runs scored over his first 15 contests.

Pages went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Pages was in an 0-for-9 skid over the previous three games. He snapped the slump early, reaching the 20-homer mark with a first-inning solo shot off Yu Darvish. This was Pages' first homer since July 22, so it's possible he got into his own head while attempting to reach the milestone mark. He's added a .277/.322/.461 slash line with 70 RBI, 53 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 20 doubles and one triple over 120 contests this season.

Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Betts posted an eight-game hitting streak between Aug. 5-13, though he opened this critical weekend series versus the Padres by going 0-for-6 over the first two games. The 32-year-old's first hit of the series was clutch, as he put the Dodgers ahead for good in the eighth inning after the bullpen squandered a lead. Betts is still dealing with some inconsistency at the plate, batting a modest .254 (15-for-59) with four extra-base hits over 15 games in August. Overall, he's hitting .242 with a .683 OPS, 13 homers, 57 RBI, 75 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 114 contests.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Freeman made an early impact with his first-inning homer off Yu Darvish. With five homers and 15 RBI over his last 16 games, Freeman has been fairly productive lately, even amid some team-wide struggles for the Dodgers. The first baseman is at a .298/.369/.481 slash line with 15 homers, 69 RBI, 59 runs scored, 29 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases over 111 contests.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Wheeler (blood clot) returned to Philadelphia on Sunday and will undergo further testing Monday, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Philadelphia placed Wheeler on the 15-day injured list Saturday, after president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski revealed following the team's 2-0 loss to the Nationals that the right-hander had been diagnosed with a "right, upper extremity blood clot." according to Patrick Stevens of the Associated Press. The Phillies are unlikely to provide further details on Wheeler's situation until a treatment plan for the blood clot is decided upon, but with just six weeks left in the regular season, the 35-year-old righty may not have enough time to make it back on the mound in 2025. Philadelphia had planned to move to a six-man rotation Sunday with Aaron Nola (rib/ankle) making his return from the 60-day IL, but Wheeler's surprise move to the IL a day earlier has prompted the team to scrap those plans.

Vesia (3-2) allowed an inherited runner to score but didn't give up a hit or a walk while striking out one over 1.2 scoreless innings, taking a blown save and earning the win over the Padres on Sunday.

A Jose Iglesias groundout generated the game-tying run, charged to Alexis Diaz, after Vesia entered the game in the eighth inning. The Dodgers retook the lead in their half of the inning, and Vesia remained in the game for a clean ninth to collect the win. He's blown a save in three of his last five appearances, allowing five runs (four earned) with a 4:5 K:BB in that span. Vesia's shaky pitching has likely cost him a larger share of closing duties, though the Dodgers continue to take a committee approach while Tanner Scott (elbow), Kirby Yates (back) and Michael Kopech (knee) work their way back to health. Vesia has collected four saves, four blown saves and 21 holds this season while posting a 2.81 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 67:18 K:BB over 51.1 innings.