MLB Player News

Martini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

The lefty-hitting Martini was out of the lineup for Saturday's 7-5 loss while the Cubs brought southpaw Justin Steele to the hill, but Martini's absence Sunday will come against a right-hander (Ben Brown). Martini looked to have moved back into a strong-side platoon role at designated hitter after recently starting in five straight games, but his spot in the Reds' regular lineup no longer looks to be a given.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Velazquez will get a day off in the series finale after he had started in each of Kansas City's last 10 games. Salvador Perez will get a break from catching duties and will serve as the Royals' designated hitter while Velazquez sits.

Manzardo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

The lefty-hitting Manzardo was on the bench for two of the past three games while the Guardians faced three consecutive lefty starters, but his absence Sunday comes with right-hander Jake Irvin on the hill for Washington. Jose Ramirez will get a day out of the field and will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter, but even when Ramirez plays third base against right-handed pitching, Manzardo's opportunities could become more limited. The hot-hitting David Fry -- who is out of the lineup Sunday -- has made a case to overtake Manzardo as the Guardians' preferred DH against both righties and lefties.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

The lefty-hitting O'Hearn typically hits the bench against left-handed pitchers, but he'll get a breather versus a righty (Zack Littell) for the series finale. Adley Rutschman will get a day off from catching and will start at designated hitter in place of O'Hearn, who had been included in the lineup in each of the previous five games.

Aranda is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Aranda will hit the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Richie Palacios, Ben Rortvedt and Brandon Lowe as the Rays roll a full right-handed-hitting lineup versus Orioles southpaw Cole Irvin. Harold Ramirez will replace Aranda as the Rays' designated hitter.

Ohtani has reached 80 mph during his throwing program, per MLB.com.

Ohtani has been throwing since late March, though it's not clear if he's pitched from beyond 60 feet yet. The two-way star won't see any game action as a pitcher this season, so it's logical that the Dodgers will be very cautious in managing his throwing progression. Though he's working only as a batter this season, Ohtani is once again in the MVP discussion with a .326/.395/.604 slash line, 14 home runs, 38 RBI, 41 runs and 14 stolen bases through 57 games.

Peralta is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Kansas City, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The lefty batter will get a break as the Royals send southpaw Cole Ragans out to the mound for the series finale. Manny Machado will serve as the team's designated hitter and the right-handed hitting Donovan Solano will enter the lineup at third base.

Canha (hip) will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

As expected, the veteran will return to the lineup for the series finale after missing the last two games with a hip strain. Canha holds a slash line of .247/.358/.401 with 24 RBI and 27 runs this season.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Pederson will end up hitting the bench for the final two games of the series while the Mets brought left-handed starters to the hill Saturday (Sean Manaea) and Sunday (Jose Quintana). With Pederson out of the lineup, Eugenio Suarez will get a day off in the field and will serve as Arizona's designated hitter.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Ohtani had gone seven games without a steal, and he hit just .167 (5-for-30) over that span. That's a rare cold spell for one of baseball's best players, who continues to do it all out of the No. 2 hole for the Dodgers. He's at a .326/.395/.604 slash line with 14 home runs, 14 steals, 38 RBI and 41 runs scored over 57 contests.