MLB Player News

All signs point to Smith hitting the injured list later this week. He’s sitting out his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday night against the Pirates while he continues to deal with neck stiffness. The Dodgers are obviously prioritizing the postseason over everything else, which is why they would rather give their 31-year-old star backstop some additional time off to put the issue to bed rather than take any chances. It’ll be Dalton Rushing handling the bulk of the catching duties in his absence, which is a definite short-term boost to his fantasy appeal.

Ohtani completed a bullpen session on Tuesday without any issues and has been given the green light to take the ball during Wednesday afternoon’s matinee at Dodger Stadium. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be in the lineup as well considering the short turnaround between games. The 31-year-old two way superstar missed time last week with left knee soreness, which turned out to be a relatively minor concern.

Garica was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s contest after going 0-for-1 with a walk in two plate appearances. MLB.com’s Anne Rogers speculates that Garcia was dealing with a hand or wrist issue prior to exiting. The 26-year-old missed time earlier this month with a right hamstring strain, but his departure doesn’t appear related to that issue. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Harris singled and scored a run before leaving Tuesday’s rain-soaked series opener at Truist Park. He was replaced by Eli White in left field. It’s possible his exit was precautionary in nature since he missed time with a back issue earlier this month. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Seattle can’t really afford to lose any more position players to injury with both Randy Arozarena (hamstring) and Josh Naylor (shin, wrist) already sidelined. However, Raley is dealing with some back issues and the club doesn’t want to take any chances. He’s presumably day-to-day for now. It’ll be Victor Robles taking over in left field in his absence.

The timing is unfortunate for Culpepper and fantasy managers since the top prospect appeared to be on the verge of arriving in Minnesota. The 23-year-old infielder has torn the cover off the ball recently, hitting .368 (14-for-38) with two homers and three steals in 10 games since the start of June. He’s launched 14 homers and collected 15 steals through 61 games for Triple-A St. Paul this season. It feels like only a matter of time before he takes over as the club’s shortstop of the future, but this injury will certainly delay his arrival until later this summer.

Bassitt hit the injured list with lower back discomfort last week. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to require a lengthy absence, but he won’t be an option for the Orioles again until later this month.

Beavers figures to make it back to Baltimore before the end of June. The 24-year-old hit the injured list with a low-grade oblique strain back on May 13.

Keith’s departure from Detroit’s lineup comes after an epic three-homer explosion during Monday’s series opener at Daikin Park. The 24-year-old corner infielder is presumably day-to-day for now. Rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle moves over to cover the hot corner with Zach McKinstry taking over at shortstop.

Tiedemann struck out two of the five batters he faced and was reportedly sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball, topping out at 97 mph. The 23-year-old southpaw remains one of Toronto’s most intriguing pitching prospects, even though injuries have prevented him from reaching his lofty potential as one of the top prospects in baseball just a few years ago. It’s a bit unclear how the Blue Jays will proceed with his development since he could probably help their bullpen in the late stages of the regular season as opposed to stretching out as a starter with an eye towards the future.

Bieber is aiming to build up to roughly 75 pitches in his next rehab outing and appears to be close to returning to Toronto for his season debut. The 31-year-old looked sharp his last time out, striking out four over five shutout innings last Thursday. He’s isn’t too far away from making it back to the majors.