Shohei Ohtani hits leadoff homer versus D-backs

Simpson regularly occupied the lead-off spot for the Rays from mid-April through early June, but hasn’t hit there since June 5th. Instead, he’s mostly hit fifth or sixth over the last few weeks. With him back atop the order, regular lead-off hitter Yandy Díaz shifted down to fourth and Liam Hicks down one spot to fifth.

Always looking for catcher depth, the Braves brought in Robinson in to serve as organizational depth. He went 2-for-23 in a short-term back-up role with the Dodgers between being designated for assignment on two separate occasions.

Banfield came up for a short, 10 plate appearance stint last season and went 0-for-10 with six strikeouts. Yet, he’s regarded as a quality defender behind the plate and will likely be used to help the Reds in that area since they’ve allowed the second-most stolen bases as a team this season. Noelvi Marte was optioned in a corresponding move, so Banfield will serve as the third catcher on their roster.

Marte performed poorly in his two-and-a-half month stint back in the big leagues with a .189/.229/.321 slash line through 201 plate appearances. What started out as a near full-time role drifting into a part-time one over the last few weeks as Marte ceded playing time to the newly promoted Hector Rodríguez. In a corresponding move, the Reds promoted Will Banfield to be the third catcher on their roster. Marte’s stock has fallen dramatically over the last few years and he shouldn’t be considered much more than organizational depth at this point. He could really use a change of scenery.

This is a procedural move after McCambley served as the 27th man on Monday during a double-header against the Cardinals. He tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in his appearance and will likely be part of the Reds’ bullpen shuffle for the rest of the season.

Hagenman fractured a rib during spring training and hasn’t appeared in a game at any level yet this season. He had a 4.65 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and just two walks across 23 2/3 innings in a swing-man role with the Mets last season,

Warren has been out since early July with a right forearm strain. After a strong run early in the season out of their bullpen, he let up nine earned runs in his final two appearances before succumbing to the IL. Before then, he had a 2.45 ERA across 33 innings and could be a candidate to pick up holds within the Mets’ chaotic bullpen.

The Mets acquired McDermott from the Dodgers at the trade deadline for catcher Ben Rortvedt and he’s flashed some stuff in 3 1/3 innings of work split between two outings. Yet, his command was poor as it’s been his whole career evidenced by a 7.9 BB/9 across 18 1/3 big league innings.

The hope was that Uribe would only need a minimum stay on the injured list after going out with a mild flexor strain last week. Throwing a bullpen only a few days later is a great sign that one of the league’s best setup men will be back soon.

This is great news and fits Pratt’s initial timeline to return in August after suffering a mild hamstring strain just under two weeks ago. He was heating up before going out with a .305 batting average and five stolen bases over his last 30 games. Also, funny enough, he’ll begin this rehab assignment on his 22nd birthday.