It’s purely circumstantial in nature, but Ohtani has gone 0-for-7 at the plate in a pair of contests since being hit by a pitch on the right shoulder during Monday’s series opener against the Mets. He was also involved in a bizarre play last week against the Blue Jays when he was struck by a pickoff throw on the elbow by rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela. The Dodgers are going to give him a break from hitting to focus exclusively on pitching during Wednesday’s start at Dodger Stadium. It’s the first time he’s pitched without being in the lineup since 2021. Blockbuster offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker ascends to the leadoff spot with rookie catcher Dalton Rushing getting a turn at DH in his place.

Pivetta declined to share with reporters what an MRI on his right elbow revealed, which isn’t a great sign. The 33-year-old will not require surgery, for now, after hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation earlier this week. He’s opted for the rest and rehabilitation route and is likely facing a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario. There should be a clearer return timetable once he ramps up a throwing program. It’s not a worst-case scenario, but it’s challenging for fantasy managers to feel great about this latest development.

Story had four hard-hit balls and even a walk in his five plate appearances today, so his early slump seems over. That still doesn’t mean the Red Sox should put him back into the two hole, though. Maybe having him bat cleanup instead of sixth, as he did with Willson Contreras out today, and moving Contreras up to second would be a fair compromise. Story is up to 17 RBI on the season. No one else on the Red Sox has more than 11.

Antonacci made the transition to left field look fairly seamless at Triple-A Charlotte this season, but he’ll make his big-league debut at his natural defensive home, while also batting in the middle of Chicago’s lineup. The versatile 23-year-old has flashed some emerging over-the-fence power over the last few weeks, batting .313 (15-for-48) with two homers and five steals in 14 games on the doorstep of the majors. He boasts some of the strongest plate skills in the minors, which should help ease his transition to the big leagues. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats.

Soto has been participating in baseball activities, including batting practice in an indoor cage, but he had not begun a running progression until Tuesday. Soto strained his calf on April 3rd and was expected to only be out for three weeks. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hinted that the team would get “creative” with Soto’s rehab, which might mean that they simulate at-bats for him and don’t send him out on a rehab assignment. We’ll keep you posted, but Soto could return before the month is out.

McGonigle follows behind Konnor Griffin and Colt Emerson as high-end prospects who have inked long-term extensions before completing their first month in the big leagues. McGonigle’s deal is the biggest extension signed by a prospect ever, breaking Griffin’s record ($140 million) from last week. The 21-year-old is off to a great start to his MLB career, and will now be a fixture in the middle of the Tigers lineup for years to come.

Buxton just needed the Red Sox to come to town to shake off this slow start. He’s 6-for-10 with three homers the last two days, raising his OPS from .531 to .768. The two-homer game is the 18th of his career. He scored four runs just once other time, that being his lone three-homer game on Aug. 27, 2017 against the Blue Jays.

Guerrero’s double scored Ernie Clement in the top of the 10th, and he came around to score on a two-run double from Myles Straw to cement the win for the Jays. Guerrero drove in a run earlier in the game as well to bring his RBI total up to seven, and that relatively low total has more to do with who has been hitting in front of him than anything he’s done wrong. He’s off to a very strong start with the stick, and there isn’t much reason to think he’s going to cool off soon, or ever, really.

It’s the first two-homer game of Wetherholt’s career. The 23-year-old took Ryne Stanek deep for a two-run shot in the eighth, and he hit a solo blast off Joey Cantillo in the third. While the rookie second baseman is still hitting .200/.338/.385 in his first three weeks of play, Wetherholt has very much passed the eye test, and more games like this seem much more likely than not in the coming months.

Langford is back at DH and hitting second on Tuesday night in West Sacramento following a three-game absence due to a minor quad strain. The 24-year-old outfielder has struggled to get going at the plate this season, hitting .170 (9-for-53) with one homer, three RBI and one steal through 13 games. It’s only a matter of time before he turns it around. The encouraging development for fantasy managers is that he managed to avoid a trip to the injured list.