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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Back in lineup
Ohtani (knee) will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff Friday against the Red Sox.
Ohtani sat out Thursday's contest to give his inflamed left knee a chance to heal, but he now seems to be feeling well enough to play in Friday's series opener. The two-way star hasn't appeared on the mound since July 3 because of his knee but hasn't been impacted much as a hitter, slashing .265/.326/.518 with five homers, 15 RBI and eight runs scored across 92 plate appearances in July.
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Justin Martinez RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Justin Martinez: Nearing rehab assignment
Martinez (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia next week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Martinez has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He's been cleared to face hitters for the past two weeks, and he's scheduled to pitch in a simulated game at the team's spring training complex this weekend before joining one of Arizona's minor-league affiliates. The 25-year-old righty will likely require an extended rehab assignment after spending more than a year on the shelf, but he could still make it back to the D-backs' bullpen before the end of August.
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Drew Thorpe SP | CHW
White Sox's Drew Thorpe: Moving rehab to Triple-A
Thorpe (elbow) will make his next rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Thorpe was cleared for a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, and his last outing took place Thursday, when he allowed one hit while striking out five batters across four scoreless innings with Double-A Birmingham. He's in the final stages of his recovery from April 2025 Tommy John surgery, and barring any setbacks, Thorpe is on track to rejoin the White Sox in mid-August.
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Yennier Cano RP | BAL
Orioles' Yennier Cano: Gets two-year extension
Cano agreed to a two-year, $7.5 milion contract extension with the Orioles on Friday.
The extension covers Cano's final two arbitration years for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, with the Orioles having a $10 million club option for 2029, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Cano has been a key piece to the Orioles' bullpen and is in the midst of a career year. He has a 2.21 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, eight holds and a 31:8 K:BB across 36.2 innings this season.
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Chen Zhuang SP | ATH
Athletics' Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang: DFA'd by Athletics
The Athletics designated Zhuang for assignment Friday.
The move corresponds with the Athletics selecting Jonathan Ornelas' contract from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioning Colby Thomas to Triple-A. Zhuang has spent the entire 2026 season in Las Vegas but has allowed at least six earned runs over his last five outings, which has him at a 7.84 ERA and 1.79 WHIP across 59.2 innings in Triple-A.
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Thomas Pannone SP | MIL
Brewers' Thomas Pannone: Designated for assignment
The Brewers designated Pannone for assignment Friday, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.
Pannone was called up to make a spot start for the Brewers on Wednesday, during which he gave up three runs (two earned) across three innings. Now that his services are no longer required by the big club, he'll lose his place on the active and 40-man rosters to make room for DL Hall (pectoral), who returned from the injured list Friday.
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Colby Thomas RF | ATH
Athletics' Colby Thomas: Sent down to Triple-A
The Athletics optioned Thomas to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.
The move makes room on the 26-man roster for Jonathan Ornelas, whose contract was selected by the Athletics from Las Vegas. Thomas has been on the big-league roster since late April, but in 16 games since July 1 he's gone 4-for-34 (.118) with one RBI and a 38.9 percent strikeout rate while operating in a reserve role. He'll head back to Triple-A, where he's slashing .309/.397/.574 with one steal, five home runs and 19 RBI over 78 plate appearances this season.
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DL Hall RP | MIL
Brewers' DL Hall: Rejoins bullpen
The Brewers reinstated Hall (pectoral) from the injured list Friday, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.
Hall has been on the shelf since early June due to a left pec strain, but he has been pitching in rehab games since July 19. Across four appearances in the minors, he gave up two earned runs on three hits and three walks while punching out nine batters in 5.2 innings. He'll replace Thomas Pannone on the Brewers' pitching staff and will presumably work as a middle reliever.
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Tatsuya Imai SP | HOU
Astros' Tatsuya Imai: Moving to bullpen
Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that Imai will be moving to the bullpen for the team's weekend series against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Imai struggled in his last start against the Angels on Monday, when he tossed only 12 of 33 pitches for strikes and allowed two runs on one hit and four walks while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning. He was in line to start in Sunday's series finale, and while a replacement has yet to been announced, Chandler Rome of The Athletic suggested Thursday that Peter Lambert could be on the mound on short rest.