MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Tena to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday's 3-1 loss to Miami, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Tena earned a spot on the Nationals' Opening Day roster but had yet to make much of a splash through the first two-plus months of the season, slashing .248/.325/.365 with zero home runs, two stolen bases, 18 runs and 13 RBI over 154 plate appearances. The 24-year-old had been occupying the strong side of a platoon at third base with Amed Rosario, but the Nationals will call up prospect Brady House from Triple-A on Monday and are likely to deploy him as an everyday player at the hot corner.

The Nationals optioned Hassell to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Hassell will return to Rochester after batting .218/.228/.269 with one home run and one stolen base in 79 plate appearances over his first 21 games in the big leagues. The Nationals are expected to recall Daylen Lile from Triple-A to replace Hassell on the active roster ahead of the team's four-game series against the Rockies that begins Monday.

Snell (shoulder) threw approximately 20 to 25 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

After getting back on the mound and tossing 15 pitches in San Diego on Tuesday, Snell increased the volume and intensity of his throwing in his second bullpen session since he landed on the injured list April 6. The southpaw was limited to throwing fastballs in Friday's workout, so he'll have to incorporate his full arsenal in future bullpen sessions before he advances to facing hitters in live batting practice. Snell still has a chance to return from the 60-day injured list before the All-Star break, though he may need to head out on a rehab assignment within the next two weeks to make it a reality.

Yelich went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and a double in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Cardinals.

The former MVP notched his first homer of June when he tied the contest at 1-1 with a 390-foot shot off St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas in the fourth inning. Yelich entered this game on a cold spell, slashing just .222/.333/.306 across 42 plate appearances this month while serving as the primary designated hitter for Milwaukee. The 33-year-old now sports a .239/.323/.427 slash line overall with 14 homers, 10 steals, 43 RBI and 35 runs scored through 288 plate appearances.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani (elbow) will throw another live batting practice session early this week, which may "potentially" be the right-hander's final live throwing session before he makes his Dodgers debut as a pitcher, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani -- who remains in the lineup at designated hitter and as the Dodgers' leadoff batter in Sunday's game against the Giants -- built up to 44 pitches and three innings in his most recent live BP outing Tuesday, per MLB.com. He'll likely be targeting around 50 or 55 pitches in his upcoming throwing session, and if all goes well, Ohtani may finally be given the green light to operate as a two-way player for the first time since Aug. 23, 2023, when he made his last appearance as a pitcher for the Angels before undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery just under a month later. Because Ohtani won't be fully stretched out for a traditional starter's workload by the time he's cleared to make his debut on the mound, Roberts said that the 30-year-old will initially be used as a multi-inning opener in bullpen games and will gradually build up his pitch counts.

Gomber allowed two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings Sunday in a no-decision against Atlanta. He struck out four.

It was an impressive return to the mound for Gomber, who gave up just two singles in an eventual 10-1 Rockies victory. The left-hander missed over two months after suffering a shoulder injury in spring training. Gomber made 30 starts for Colorado last season, going 5-12 with a 4.75 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 116 strikeouts. He's tentatively lined up to face the Diamondbacks at home in his second outing.

Baty (groin) was pulled from Sunday's 9-0 loss to the Rays in the seventh inning with right groin tightness, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

Baty was replaced at the plate by Ronny Mauricio to open the bottom of the seventh inning, finishing his day 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Manager Carlos Mendoza explained after the game that Baty was dealing with a groin issue and that he can be considered day-to-day for the time being. The Mets are off Monday before they travel to Atlanta for a three-game set beginning Tuesday.

Holmes (3-6) took the loss Sunday against the Rockies, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out 15.

It was a dominant performance from Holmes, whose 15 strikeouts were the most in a game for any pitcher this season. However, a Ryan McMahon leadoff homer in the seventh inning proved to be enough to stick Holmes with a hard-luck loss in an eventual 10-1 Atlanta defeat. The 29-year-old right-hander sports a 3.97 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and an impressive 10.44 K/9 through 14 starts (79.1 innings) this season. Holmes currently lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins his next time out.

Canning (6-3) took the loss in Sunday's game against the Rays. He conceded six runs on four hits and five walks over 4.1 innings with two strikeouts.

Despite not yielding an extra-base hit, Canning allowed a season-worst six earned runs mostly because he issued five free passes, also a season worst. He generated an uninspiring eight whiffs out of his 89 total pitches. After producing a 2.36 ERA across his first 42 frames, Canning sports a 6.08 ERA with a lackluster 21:17 K:BB in 26.2 innings over his last six outings. Things won't get easier for the New York right-hander, as he currently lines up to make his next start at division rival Philadelphia next weekend.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Sasaki (shoulder) halted his throwing program a few days ago, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Per Ardaya, Roberts noted that Sasaki is "pain-free" and isn't dealing with any sort of setback with his shoulder that will warrant further testing, but the rookie right-hander indicated that he doesn't feel comfortable yet throwing at full intensity. Initially placed on the injured list May 13 due to a right shoulder impingement, Sasaki resumed throwing two weeks later but hadn't advanced beyond playing catch before he shut himself down. At this stage, Sasaki doesn't look like he'll have enough time to get stretched back out and return from the IL before the All-Star break, and if he's unable to resume throwing early on in the second half, his availability for the remainder of the season would be in serious jeopardy. Sasaki went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24:22 K:BB in 34.1 innings over his eight starts before being shelved.