MLB Player News

All indications are that Ohtani is healthy, with Roberts noting there are several factors at play, including that he won’t be pitching on his usual six days of rest. He also pointed out that the Dodgers close out the series with an early-afternoon game on Wednesday, meaning the added workload on the mound would likely take him out of the lineup for the finale. The 31-year-old two-way superstar was limited to pitching exclusively earlier this month against the Mets over minor concerns about his throwing shoulder. Fantasy managers should anticipate Los Angeles continuing to approach his workload with caution, especially this early in the season.

Moncada gets a breather after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and he’s already whiffed 36 times in 103 plate appearances this season. He’ll sit with Oswald Peraza hitting eighth and handling the hot corner.

Simpson was up for just a day and didn’t pitch. The Mariners want another right-hander in the bullpen, so Nick Davila is called up to replace Simpson in the relief corps.

Davila will have a chance to make his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game. The right-hander was an undrafted signee who forged a 2.00 ERA and 10/1 K/BB over nine innings in Double-A. He’ll likely be a low-leverage option in this turn with Seattle.

Springer has been battling a fractured toe and just came off the injured list Wednesday because of it, but the imaging revealed no new damage. The 36-year-old was going to get Sunday’s game off regardless, but now likely will miss a couple more games before getting back into action. For now, consider the slugger day-to-day.

Happ provided all the offense for the Cubs in Saturday’s win, starting with a leadoff homer in the second inning. After walking the third, he added a double in the sixth and tripled to lead off the eighth before scoring the team’s second run. He fell a single short of the cycle. The 31-year-old outfielder is hitting .246/.373/.517 with eight homers, 23 runs scored, and 15 RBI across 142 plate appearances.

After seven scoreless innings from Shota Imanaga, Brown took over in the eighth and gave the Cubs two clean frames to close it out for his first save of the season. The 26-year-old right-hander has been incredibly effective in this multi-inning relief role, posting a 1.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 23/7 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings. Daniel Palencia (oblique) is expected to be activated in the coming days to resume closing duties.

Imanaga was lights out on Saturday, holding the Diamondbacks scoreless over seven innings. He scattered four hits and one walk while striking out five batters on 14 whiffs. It was a nice bounce-back after giving up five runs against the Dodgers in his last start. The 32-year-old left-hander will take a 2.40 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and a 43/10 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings into a start against the Reds in Chicago on Thursday.

Nelson tossed a clean first inning, then surrendered a solo homer to Ian Happ to start the second. He then worked through a bases-loaded jam in the third. Nelson would pitch into the sixth, leaving with one runner on and two outs at 84 pitches. He struck out four. The one-run outing ends a rough stretch for Nelson, who surrendered 14 runs over his last two starts. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a 6.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and a 28/13 K/BB ratio across 31 1/3 innings into a start against the Mets in Arizona on Friday.

Okamoto followed a two-homer game with another excellent day at the plate. He took Justin Topa deep for a solo homer in the sixth inning, an absolute blast at 111.7 mph going 453 feet. He then knocked a base hit in the eighth to bring home a run. The 29-year-old third baseman is up to eight homers and 20 RBI while slashing .235/.316/.454 across 133 plate appearances.

Sosa put the Blue Jays on the board with a solo home run off Connor Prielipp in the second inning, then later drove in a run on a single and scored in the eighth. The 26-year-old infielder is still seeing sporadic playing time, splitting games at second base while getting occasional starts at first and designated hitter. He’s hitting .257/.254/.386 with one homer, eight runs scored, and nine RBI across 72 plate appearances.