MLB Player News

Rice went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.

Rice led off the game with a 379-foot blast off Mason Englert, his 40th homer this season, before adding his 41st in the fourth, tying Yordan Alvarez and Junior Caminero for the AL lead. Overall, the 27-year-old Rice is slashing .263/.362/.537 with 97 RBI, 103 runs scored and three steals across 654 plate appearances in a breakout campaign.

The Dodgers optioned De Paula to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.

De Paula dazzled during his first 11 games in the majors, slashing .323/.500/.581 with a home run, seven RBI, seven runs scored, a steal and an 11:5 BB:K across 42 plate appearances. However, with Shohei Ohtani (knee/biceps) returning from the injured list Wednesday, there is no room for the Dodgers' top prospect to get regular at-bats with the big club. That being said, De Paula could still be in play to contribute during Los Angeles' postseason run.

The Dodgers reinstated Ohtani (knee/biceps) from the injured list Wednesday, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.

After taking a couple of weeks off to recover from knee and biceps injuries that have bothered him for much of the second half, Ohtani will return to the active roster in time to play out the Dodgers' final five regular-season contests. The two-way star will only be contributing as a hitter, however, as he isn't expected to make an appearance on the mound for the rest of the year. Josue De Paula was sent down to the minors in a corresponding move.

Springer is not in the starting lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

Toronto was eliminated from postseason contention with a loss in the first game of the day, so naturally veterans Springer and Vladimir Guerrero are sitting for the nightcap. Springer is closing out a disappointing age-36 season after a resurgent 2025.

Stanton (calf) is taking live batting practice at Double-A Somerset with the possibility of being available in some capacity for next week's AL Wild Card Series, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Stanton will close the regular season on the 60-day injured list after straining his left calf in August while rehabbing a right calf strain. Despite the ongoing injury issues, it sounds like Stanton could serve as the designated hitter or perhaps as a bench bat during the first round of the playoffs. Aaron Judge (calf) is not expected to be ready for the wild-card round.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays are starting most of their regulars, Diaz notwithstanding, even after clinching the division and home-field advantage through the ALCS with a win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Victor Mesa will get a turn in the leadoff spot as Jonathan Aranda starts at DH and Ryan Vilade mans first base against right-hander Gerrit Cole.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with four RBI in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

After going 0-for-4 in the matinee as the Rays got blanked 2-0, Diaz powered a 6-1 win in the nightcap, driving in a pair of runs in both the seventh and ninth innings with singles. With the victory, Tampa Bay clinched the AL East title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The performance ended a 10-game slump in which Diaz had gone just 3-for-40 (.075) with one RBI, but he still hasn't produced an extra-base hit since Sept. 8.

Gasper entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and swatted a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Cleveland.

Gasper tied the game at 2-2 and remained in the contest as the designated hitter. His bat has quieted down following a power surge (1.000 SLG) that saw him hit eight home runs over a 16-game stretch from mid-August to Sept. 4. In the 14 subsequent games, Gasper has gone 5-for-33 while slugging .333.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Mariners.

Alvarez went yard in the eighth inning to provide the Astros' last runs of the game. He had opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first. The 29-year-old slugger has had a superb year, though he has taken a small step back with a .985 OPS since the All-Star break. Alvarez is batting .314 with a major-league best 1.032 OPS, 41 homers, 102 RBI, 99 runs scored, 32 doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 153 contests.

Ohtani (knee/biceps) is expected to return from the injured list Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani still has a few hurdles to clear after spending the past couple of weeks on the IL, per Katie Woo of The Athletic, but the Dodgers skipper anticipates that Ohtani will be cleared to resume working as the team's primary designated hitter Wednesday against the Padres. Ohtani isn't expected to make another appearance as a pitcher in the regular season or postseason, however.