MLB Player News
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Keeps mashing with two homers
Buxton went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and a walk in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to Miami.
Wednesday marked the 19th multi-homer game of Buxton's career. The Twins may not have many household names in their lineup, but Buxton has been a force for fantasy managers atop Minnesota's batting order this season. Over his last 26 games (114 at-bats), the star outfielder is batting .298 with 15 long balls, four doubles, 22 RBI and four stolen bases to raise his OPS for the year to .899.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Pitching but not batting Wednesday
Ohtani is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday as he takes the mound against the Giants.
Per Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Ohtani will simply take the mound for Wednesday's game and will also be out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale, though he could be available as a pinch hitter. Although his batting stats this season have taken a noticeable hit, Ohtani continues to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, with the right-hander sporting a 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB across 37 innings this season.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Not cleared to ramp up running
Stanton has not yet been cleared to ramp up his running after an MRI on his injured right calf did not show enough healing, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
Stanton suffered a calf strain nearly three weeks ago, and his progress hasn't come as quickly as hoped. It could be a short window of time between when Stanton is cleared to ramp up his running and when he returns to the active roster, but until the former happens, his timeline remains murky. Spencer Jones has been getting playing time in Stanton's place after Jasson Dominguez (shoulder) joined Stanton on the injured list.
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mets' Luis Torrens: Taking over for injured Alvarez
Torrens will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
With Francisco Alvarez (knee) suffering a right meniscus tear in Tuesday's win and likely to miss at least a month, Torrens is poised to step in as the Mets' new No. 1 backstop. While serving in a part-time capacity through the first seven weeks of the season, Torrens has made a limited impact at the dish, slashing just .208/.255/.292 with zero home runs, zero steals, eight RBI and five runs over 52 plate appearances. Even with his playing time set to increase, Torrens isn't expected to warrant much attention outside of NL-only leagues or deeper mixed leagues that start two catchers.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Likely out of lineup next two days
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani will be used only as a pitcher during Wednesday's game against the Giants, and the two-way star will remain out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale but will be available to pinch hit, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
After Ohtani went 0-for-5 at the dish in Monday's 9-3 loss in the series opener, Roberts indicated that the four-time MVP would get a day off from hitting either Wednesday or Thursday. Though Ohtani broke out of an extended funk at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-2 loss, Roberts won't deviate from his plan to rest the 31-year-old superstar during the Giants series. In fact, Ohtani now looks set to be out of the lineup for both of the final two games of the series, though he'll take his normal turn through the rotation Wednesday. While he hasn't lived up to his incredibly high standard as a hitter so far this season with a .797 OPS -- his lowest mark since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign -- Ohtani is on his way to a career-best season as a pitcher. He'll head into his seventh start of the season having maintained a 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB in 37 innings.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Shuffled to leadoff
Pederson batted leadoff and went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Pederson hit leadoff and the move paid immediate dividends, as he hit a home run on the second pitch he saw in the first inning. Brandon Nimmo, who left the game with an ankle injury, had previously been the Rangers' leadoff batter when healthy before batting second Tuesday. Pederson had reached base safely in the first four games of the team's current homestand, and manager Skip Schumaker explained pregame to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that he was trying to get runners on base for Nimmo and "lengthen the lineup." It's unclear if Pederson will continue to hit atop the order.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers in loss
Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a second run scored in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Giants.
Ohtani was the only Dodger to log multiple hits in this contest. This ended a run of 11 games without a long ball for the superstar. He has just three multi-hit efforts -- and more notably, seven hitless games -- over his last 12 contests, going 9-for-47 (.191) in that span. Overall, he's batting .240 with a .797 OPS, seven homers, 17 RBI, 27 runs scored, seven doubles and five stolen bases across 42 games as a hitter this season. Ohtani is scheduled to pitch Wednesday, but he will be getting a day off from hitting either Wednesday or Thursday, so fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on the Dodgers' lineup cards in the coming days.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Day off from hitting on tap
Manager Dave Roberts said after Monday's 9-3 loss that Ohtani will be held out of the lineup for one of the final two games of the Dodgers' four-game series versus the Giants, Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Monday, extending a rough stretch at the plate to begin the month. Through his nine games as a hitter so far in May, Ohtani has gone just 4-for-36 with a 4:10 BB:K, bringing his OPS down to .767 for the season. Ohtani has made up for his uncharacteristically lagging bat by looking as dominant as ever on the mound; he'll take a 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 22.8 K-BB% into his next start Wednesday. The Dodgers could look to give him a break from hitting that day -- something they've already done for three of his first six starts as a pitcher -- or wait until Thursday's series finale to rest him in what would be his first proper off day of the season.
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Heston Kjerstad DH | BAL
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Moved to 60-day IL
The Orioles transferred Kjerstad (hamstring) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
Kjerstad was cleared to embark on a rehab assignment with Double-A Chesapeake on Saturday. His move to the 60-day IL means that he won't be available to make his 2026 season debut until late May, but Kjerstad's rehab stint will likely be lengthy given that he's recovering from a strained right hamstring that he suffered during spring training.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Could ramp up running this week
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Stanton will undergo tests on his injured right calf in hopes of being cleared to ramp up his running this week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Boone added that Stanton has already done some running indoors, and he could be given the green light to step up his rehab if the club is satisfied with how his right calf strain has healed. There's no word yet on a potential rehab assignment or return date for Stanton. With Jasson Dominguez (shoulder) also out, Spencer Jones has been getting an opportunity lately for the Yanks.