MLB Player News

Ohtani was removed from Thursday’s game as a precautionary measure due to inflammation in his left knee. The Dodgers have opted to take a very cautious approach here with their two-way superstar and will give him at least an extra night off to rest. Santiago Espinal will fill in as the Dodgers’ designated hitter on Friday and will bat eighth against Anthony Kay and the White Sox.

Avila was knocked around for six runs over 2 2/3 innings in a losing effort against the Rockies on Saturday and perhaps the forearm issue contributed to those struggles. No word yet on the severity or how long the 24-year-old hurler will be sidelined for. Aaron Bummer was recalled from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.

Bassitt threw 46 pitches over 3 1/3 innings his last time out, so you’d expect him to get somewhere in the range of 75 pitches on Sunday. If all goes well, that could be all he needs before returning from the injured list. It’s also possible that if he shows enough in that outing it could entice interested teams to pick him up from the O’s prior to Monday’s trade deadline.

Heyman notes that the Rays have expressed interest as well, which was noted by independent journalist Francys Romero earlier in the week. The 29-year-old continues to shine for the Giants, slashing .328/.364/.446 with four homers, 43 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 459 plate appearances. It’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll be packing his bags and moving to a new destination soon.

He’ll do so against rehabbing hurlers Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt. Stanton has been sidelined since April due to his calf injury. If all goes well with Monday’s session, he could be cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment.

The 33-year-old southpaw finally appears to be making tangible strides in his return from the left elbow inflammation that has had him shelved since the start of July. He’s still expected to need at least one minor league rehab start before he’s cleared to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation.

With Tarik Skubal off the board, Mize now stands out as the top rental option remaining on the trade market for team’s looking to upgrade their starting rotation. The Braves and Diamondbacks have already been linked to him, with Heyman noting that the Cubs, Rays, Padres and Yankees could be suitors as well. Expect Mize to be donning a new jersey the next time that he takes the mound.

The 30-year-old southpaw had been stationed at Triple-A Toledo where he registered a 5.40 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and a 15/5 K/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings in 12 appearances during an injury-plagued campaign. He’s now free to explore opportunities on the open market.

Hopefully Hanifee didn’t actually make the trip from West Sacramento to Toledo after being optioned out on Friday night, as he’ll rejoin the big league club to take the place of Tarik Skubal after the star southpaw was dealt to the Dodgers. He’ll stick around for at least a few days while the Tigers figure out how to handle the void in their starting rotation.

Smith isn’t just a throw-in in this mega-deal with the Dodgers, he’s a very intriguing talent in his own right. The 21-year-old right-hander was the Dodgers’ third-round selection from the 2025 draft class. In his first full season of minor league ball he has posted a 4.36 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 113/30 K/BB ratio over 74 1/3 innings in 21 starts between Single-A Ontario and High-A Great Lakes. He’s probably a couple of years away from being an option to help the Tigers, but the strikeout potential in this right-handed arm is massive. He’ll begin his Tigers’ career at Single-A West Michigan.

Ryan ranks as the 68th best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, which opinions on the right-hander’s worth landing all over the board. At 27, he’s a bit old for a prospect, but only made the full-time transition to the mound in 2022 and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025. He possesses next-level stuff and if he’s able to stay healthy his ceiling projects as a top of the rotation starter at the MLB level. He’ll begin his Tigers’ tenure on the injured list at Triple-A Toledo as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain, but he could find his way into the big league rotation before the end of August.