Category: MLB

The Athletic | Ken Rosenthal ($): Even though his October reputation isn’t the best, the Yankees need a healthy Aaron Judge if they’re going to make any noise in the playoffs. In order to do that, the Yankees have to be careful with Judge, who skipped a rehab assignment after missing more than three months with a rib injury. The last thing they want to do is overexert him and have him reaggravate the injury. So they must be careful with him to keep him in the lineup and then unleash him in October, even if he gets upset when they take him out.

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: In case it wasn’t obvious, Aaron Judge brings a lot to the table. He’s arguably the best right-handed hitter ever and if the Yankees are going to try and make a run at the AL East crown, Judge gives them the best chance to do that. While the Rays refuse to fully go down or even regress to the mean, the projection systems still like the Yankees’ chances now that Judge is back in the mix. In case you wanted to know more about just how good Judge is, he’s literally better than everyone else.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Shockingly but also maybe unshockingly, the Yankees finally hit their first grand slam of the 2026 season last night off the bat of George Lombard Jr. It’s a little shocking that it took this long but grand slam opportunities don’t happen every day and to say the offense had been sputtering the last few months, especially with Judge out of the lineup, would be an understatement. With the grand slam, though, Lombard becomes the second-youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam, only older than Mickey Mantle who accomplished the feat twice in his age-20 season (and a mere three days apart at that).

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Jazz Chisholm Jr. is expected to officially be placed on the 10-day injured list today with Anthony Volpe getting the callup as the corresponding move. While just a few weeks ago this wouldn’t have been a very inspiring choice, Volpe “became Barry Bonds all of a sudden” once he got to the minors, at least according to his teammate Jasson Domínguez but also according to his numbers.

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Today's MLB moneyline predictions feature several intriguing individual and team matchups, with plenty of value available across today's five-game slate.

Read on for my MLB moneyline predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, Sept. 10.

MLB moneyline picks for September 10

For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Matchup	Pick
Rays vs Braves	53%
Astros vs Phillies	38%
Rangers vs Mariners	46%
Rockies vs Yankees	26%
Pirates vs White Sox	50%

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of September 10.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for September 10

Rays vs Braves:  Braves

Braves win probability: 53.9%

Atlanta has the edge, mainly because of what happens after the starters leave.

Nick Martinez and Martín Perez are both serviceable enough, so this game could easily swing in the later innings.

That is where Atlanta separates. Over the last two weeks, Tampa Bay’s bullpen owns a 4.45 SIERA with just an 8.5% K-BB rate, while Atlanta has been much sharper at 3.88 with a 1.15 WHIP and a 14.0% K-BB rate.

If this is close late, the Braves are in the better spot.

Astros vs Phillies: Astros

Astros win probability: 38%

This one comes down to whether Philadelphia’s current price matches the way its offense is playing, and right now it does not.

The Phillies have posted a 79 wRC+ with a .297 OBP over the last two weeks, which is well below what you would expect from a team carrying this kind of number.

Zack Wheeler is the clear headliner, but Houston still has some swing-and-miss upside with Cristian Javier, and the Astros bullpen has been solid with a 3.11 FIP over that same stretch.

The gap between these teams is not as wide as the number suggests.

Rangers vs Mariners: Rangers

Rangers win probability: 46%

Texas looks live here for two reasons: Jacob deGrom and the lineup's recent form.

Seattle has struck out 26.4% of the time over the last two weeks and has managed just a 93 wRC+ in that span.

Texas, meanwhile, has been one of baseball's better offenses lately, ranking third with a 122 wRC+ and backing it up with a strong .204 ISO.

Logan Gilbert is good enough to keep Seattle competitive, but Texas has the hotter bats and the more dangerous starter.

Rockies vs Yankees: Rockies

Rockies win probability: 26%

The Yankees are the obvious favorite, but recent offensive form doesn't fully support such a steep number.

Over the last two weeks, New York has produced a 107 wRC+, but the .128 ISO stands out because the power has not really been there.

Colorado has actually been more competitive at the plate than people might expect, putting up a 101 wRC+ with a .349 OBP in that same stretch.

Max Fried is the biggest difference-maker in this matchup, but if the question is whether New York has earned this big of a gap, the recent numbers say not really.

Pirates vs White Sox: White Sox

White Sox win probability: 52%

Chicago has quietly been better offensively than Pittsburgh lately, and that is the biggest reason this matchup leans their way.

Over the last two weeks, the White Sox own a 111 wRC+ and have paired it with an excellent 12.9% walk rate.

Pittsburgh has remained one of the weaker offenses in this group, posting an 85 wRC+ with a .101 ISO.

Chicago’s bullpen has also been excellent, recording a 2.10 ERA and a 15.9% K-BB rate over that stretch.

Jared Jones can change the shape of any game, but the recent team form points toward the White Sox.

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Who made the cut for our 2026 Phillies All-Prospect team? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s minor league system did not exactly follow the expected script in 2026.

Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford did. Both graduated to the majors and showed flashes of why they entered the year as two of the organization’s best prospects.

Beyond them, the picture changed quickly.

Aidan Miller, the Phillies’ top position player prospect, missed most of the season with a back injury before returning for the final stretch. Ramón Márquez emerged as one of the organization’s best pitching prospects, then was traded to San Francisco in the Luis Arraez deal.

Another group moved into focus along the way.

And that brings us to the Phillies’ 2026 All-Prospect Team.

To qualify, a player had to retain prospect eligibility, remain part of the organization’s long-term development picture and appear at the listed position in 2026. Production, workload, level and age were all considered.

Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore have completed their regular seasons. Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley are still playing, so statistics for players at those levels are through Sept. 9.

Position players

C: Alirio Ferrebus

The Phillies signed Ferrebus out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old international free agent in January 2023. Three years later, he established himself as the system’s top catching prospect.

Ferrebus batted .310/.363/.493 with 11 homers and 58 RBI over 328 plate appearances between Clearwater and Jersey Shore. Two Florida State League Player of the Week awards preceded a late-July promotion to High-A.

An injury ended his season after only five games with Jersey Shore. Although Ferrebus spent more time at designated hitter, he made 31 appearances behind the plate. It will be intriguing to see whether he can stick there as he moves through the organization.

1B: Félix Reyes

Anyone familiar with the Phillies’ farm system knew Reyes could hit. He hit his way into the majors in 2026.

His Triple-A production created the opportunity. Reyes finished the season batting .287/.318/.511 with 21 homers and 70 RBI over 380 plate appearances for Lehigh Valley. He made 30 appearances at first base and 33 in left field.

The Phillies gave Reyes 38 major league at-bats before sending him back to Triple-A in May. A fractured right wrist ended his season in August and placed him on the 60-day injured list.

Reyes is 25 but remains rookie-eligible. His power at the highest minor league level made him the strongest prospect candidate at first base.

2B: Carson DeMartini

A wrist injury cost DeMartini more than two months, leaving him with only 51 games through Sept. 9.

He made them count.

The Phillies’ 2024 fourth-round pick has reached base at a .412 clip for Reading while adding eight homers and 19 stolen bases. His .887 OPS is second among the organization’s full-season prospects with at least 200 plate appearances.

DeMartini has played 35 games at third base and 12 at second. His time at second allows the Phillies’ two most productive prospect infielders besides Rincon to share this lineup.

SS: Bryan Rincon

Rincon entered the season with 18 home runs across his first three years of professional baseball.

He has 24 in 2026.

The 22-year-old has paired that power with 29 stolen bases, 88 runs and a .406 on-base percentage over 524 plate appearances at Reading. His .910 OPS leads every Phillies prospect playing above the rookie levels.

He’s also the only hitter in the minors with ten or more leadoff homers.

The Phillies selected Rincon in the 14th round of the 2022 draft, in part because of his defense at shortstop. The offensive questions that followed him into Double-A are much less pressing now.

Rincon has remained at shortstop while developing into one of the system’s most productive power-speed threats.

3B: Juan Villavicencio

Villavicencio entered 2026 with eight home runs across his first four professional seasons. He nearly doubled that total this year.

The 21-year-old completed the year with 14 homers, 30 stolen bases and an .836 OPS over 448 plate appearances between Clearwater and Jersey Shore. He received his High-A promotion on July 27.

Signed out of Venezuela in January 2022, Villavicencio has developed primarily as a shortstop and features a plus arm. He also made 33 appearances at third base this season.

That flexibility gives the Phillies another option on the left side of the infield and gives the lefty-swinging Villavicencio a place on this team alongside Rincon.

OF: Francisco Renteria

Six days after his 17th birthday, Renteria signed with the Phillies for $4 million on Jan. 15.

Four months later, he began tearing through the Dominican Summer League.

Renteria batted .379/.470/.682 with 11 homers, 55 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 236 plate appearances. He scored 65 times in 56 games and finished with a 1.152 OPS.

The performance earned Renteria the league’s Most Valuable Player and Top MLB Prospect awards. MLB Pipeline now ranks him third in the Phillies’ system and No. 81 overall.

No player in the organization improved his prospect stock more in 2026. Renteria could move quickly through the system.

OF: Raylin Heredia

Heredia was also 17 when the Phillies signed him out of the Dominican Republic in February 2021. Injuries limited him during each of the previous two seasons.

Availability has been part of his breakthrough in 2026.

Through Sept. 9, Heredia has appeared in 133 games for Reading and accumulated 565 plate appearances. He has hit .280 with 23 homers, 74 RBI and 25 stolen bases.

Heredia and Rincon are the only Phillies minor leaguers with at least 20 homers and 20 steals. He has handled most of his defensive work in right field while also making 22 appearances in left.

His .319 on-base percentage leaves room for improvement. The power and speed he has shown against Double-A competition are harder to overlook.

OF: Nathan Humphreys

Humphreys went undrafted out of Dallas Baptist in 2025. The Phillies signed him on July 22 and sent him to the Florida Complex League.

One year later, the 24-year-old had reached High-A.

Humphreys produced 14 homers, 23 stolen bases and a .364 on-base percentage over 415 plate appearances between Clearwater and Jersey Shore. He played all three outfield positions, making most of his appearances in center.

The majority of his production came at Clearwater, where he posted an .860 OPS before his July promotion. He did not maintain that pace at Jersey Shore, but his full season and rise through two levels gave him the final outfield spot.

Starting pitchers

RHP: Gage Wood

Wood’s 4.36 ERA does not tell the full story.

The Phillies’ 2025 first-round pick has struck out 139 and walked 30 over 95 innings. That works out to 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings across 25 starts.

After opening the year with eight starts for Clearwater, Wood jumped directly to Double-A in May. He has made his last 17 starts for Reading and represented the Phillies in the Futures Game.

The 22-year-old, who greatly improved his command in his first full professional season, is now the top-ranked prospect in the organization.

LHP: Mavis Graves

Standing 6-foot-6, Graves opened the season in the Jersey Shore rotation. His role changed after the Phillies promoted him to Reading on July 27.

The 22-year-old has made each of his Double-A appearances out of the bullpen. The move has produced a 1.02 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 17⅔ innings.

Across both levels, the Phillies’ 2022 sixth-round selection has struck out 115 in 76 innings. He has allowed 62 hits while posting a 3.91 ERA over 29 appearances, including 16 starts.

Graves’ 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings stand out more than his overall ERA. His work with Reading has also given the organization another possible role to consider.

Relief pitchers

RHP: Alex McFarlane

McFarlane’s minor league line made his selection simple.

In 36 appearances, he recorded a 1.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 12 saves. He struck out 55 over 39⅓ innings before pitching his way to Philadelphia.

The Phillies drafted McFarlane in the fourth round in 2022 and initially developed him as a starter. Injuries interrupted that progression, but his fastball and slider have played with greater consistency since he moved to the bullpen.

No Phillies relief prospect did more to turn minor league production into an immediate opportunity.

RHP: Estibenzon Jiménez

The Phillies signed Jiménez out of Venezuela in November 2019, when he was 17.

He made 60 starts over his first five minor league seasons. He has not made one in 2026.

And he has arguably been the organization’s biggest pitching breakout.

Working exclusively in relief, Jiménez has gone 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and seven saves over 43⅓ innings. He has struck out 49 and surrendered only one home run across 33 appearances, most of them with Reading.

Other prospect standouts

OF Edwin Ramirez: Signed out of Venezuela in February, Ramirez hit .413 and reached base at a .486 clip during his first professional season. The 18-year-old collected 52 hits in 35 DSL games.

C Nelson Prieto: The 18-year-old recorded a .970 OPS with six homers and 39 RBI in the DSL. Prieto, who signed with the Phillies in January 2025, made 14 appearances at catcher and 20 at first base.

SS Juan Parra: Another member of the Phillies’ 2026 international class, Parra reached base at a .451 clip and scored 63 runs in 56 DSL games. The 17-year-old added four homers and nine stolen bases.

OF Jonathan Hogart: A 2025 undrafted signing out of Murray State, Hogart supplied 17 homers, 64 RBI and a .381 on-base percentage for Clearwater. The 24-year-old finished with an .839 OPS.

RHP Brad Pacheco: Pacheco completed 101⅓ innings in his first season with a full-season affiliate. The 21-year-old struck out 111, walked 22 and recorded a 4.00 ERA for Clearwater.

RHP Keegan Batka: Another member of the Phillies’ 2025 undrafted class, Batka posted a 2.72 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 49⅔ innings. He struck out 65 and saved seven games between Clearwater and Jersey Shore.

RHP Wen-Hui Pan: Pan reached Double-A, represented the Phillies in the Futures Game and struck out 47 over 39⅔ innings. The 23-year-old has a 3.18 ERA and five saves through Sept. 9.

Two veteran standouts

These sluggers deserve recognition even though neither fit the prospect criteria used for this team.

INF Alex Binelas

The Phillies signed Binelas to a minor league deal in May 2025, three days after Boston released him.

The former third-round pick has led the organization with 26 home runs in 2026. He has also driven in 78 while producing a .266/.379/.502 slash line over 488 plate appearances.

Binelas, 26, spent most of the season with Reading before receiving an Aug. 31 promotion to Lehigh Valley. He landed on the injured list four days later.

OF Pedro León

The Phillies claimed León off waivers from Baltimore in November.

León has played at four minor league levels in 2026, with some of those appearances coming during his recovery from a right hamstring strain. Most of his work has come with Reading.

The 28-year-old has a .281 average, 17 homers and 26 stolen bases over 415 plate appearances. He has reached base at a .357 clip while slugging .473.

León made his major league debut with Houston in 2024. His age and professional experience kept him off the prospect team, but not out of the organization’s list of notable performers.

During an entertaining 2026, the Phillies graduated two of their best prospects and traded another. The seasons above gave the system a new group to evaluate entering the offseason.

A few weeks ago, Will Warren seemed like a fine No. 5 starter for a Yankees team to which he could provide real value from the end of March through September.

But with just about every outing these days, he is looking more and more like a playoff pitcher for a club that could use another.

At a time of the season when arms typically tire, Warren is finding another gear that he displayed again in Wednesday’s 6-1 victory over the Rockies in The Bronx.

For six strong, one-run innings, Warren was in control during a fifth straight outing in which he did not let up more than two earned runs.

Over his past three appearances — two starts and 2 ¹/₃ hitless, scoreless innings in relief of a building-up Max Fried on Friday in San Diego — he has surrendered two earned runs in 15 ¹/₃ innings, shrinking his ERA from 4.39 to 4.05.

Barring injury, Warren probably cannot pitch himself into a postseason start, but he seems to be establishing that he will play a role in some way for a club that is auditioning many for bullpen spots.

“He can serve a lot of roles potentially [in October],” manager Aaron Boone said of a righty who might have been previously seen as an innings-eater and now may be showing something more. “He’s been incredibly durable. But he’s got weapons.”

For the Yankees, the stuff is as encouraging as the results.

Warren does not have the velocity of Cam Schlittler or the overwhelming nastiness of Gerrit Cole or the arsenal of Fried or the slider of Carlos Rodón. But he does have a healthy mix of pitches with command and velocity increasing and a changeup that is correspondingly playing up.

Yet again his velocity escalated, his four-seamer nearly a full tick up from his season average and buzzing in at 94.6 mph. He has thrown 35 pitches all season of at least 96 mph; eight of those came Wednesday, when he struck out eight, walked two and let up four hits.

“It’s a little posture, just staying taller. I think it keeps me more in line,” Warren said in explaining how he has reached back for more recently. “Therefore, can fill the zone up and a little tick in velo.”

With some extra heat, he is showing a bit more fire, too.

Warren’s only bit of trouble arrived in the fifth, when he allowed three of his four hits and only run, a Connor Norby home run to left.

The Rockies followed that blast with knocks from Zac Veen and Jake McCarthy to put runners on the corners with one out, a moment in which each pitch from Warren could change the game and be his last.

But a 27-year-old who has had issues escaping jams found the exact pitch he needed: a sinker that Cole Carrigg smacked into the ground directly to first base.

Luis García Jr. fielded and threw strong to George Lombard Jr., who fired back at Warren who both beat Carrigg to the base and showed off some nifty footwork in tagging the base for the double play and in the ensuing celebration.

Normally mild-mannered, Warren pumped his fist and strutted his way around the infield dirt before returning to the dugout.

“I was joking with the guys,” Warren said. “I was like, ‘Sometimes you got to grind for those double plays.’”

Clarke Schmidt made his fourth rehab appearance with Double-A Somerset, this one coming on two days’ rest as he tries to come back from Tommy John as a reliever for the rest of the year.

The right-hander struck out a pair in a scoreless, 12-pitch inning.

Before Wednesday’s game, the Yankees held a moment of silence for Rollie Sheldon, the right-hander and Connecticut native who died last week after winning a pair of World Series with them in 1961 and 1962.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, deciding that Shohei Ohtani needs rest if he’s going to help them win their third consecutive World Series title in October, are placing the four-time MVP on the 15-day injured list for the first time since he joined the Dodgers.

“It’s the right thing to do,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday night after the Dodgers’ 14-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, their season-high seventh consecutive victory. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could.’’

Ohtani, who will be eligible to return Sept. 23 with five regular-season games remaining, will be replaced on the roster by prized outfield prospect Josue De Paula, who will primarily be the DH, but also play in the outfield.

“Let’s get (Ohtani's) body feeling well and then slowly ramp back up because now we do have time,’’ Roberts said. “I think that if it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup. So now you’re talking about two weeks, 14 days. I feel that’s substantial, and (he) will be in a much better place than he was today.’’

Ohtani, a two-way player who hasn’t pitched since July 3, has been bothered by left knee soreness and a right biceps strain, which forced him out of the lineup six times in the last seven games.

“Is it going to be 100%?’’ Roberts said. “Probably not. But I do think that with this time that we’re taking now, he’ll be in an adequate spot for the rest of the season and beyond.’’

When the Dodgers are crowned the National League West champions, Shohei Ohtani won’t be with them.

With a 14-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles reduced its magic number to win the division to six, making it likely they will clinch the division title on their upcoming two-city, seven-game trip.

Ohtani won’t travel with the team, as he will be placed on the 15-day injured list.

The Dodgers have an 11-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres, against whom they own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and a 11 ½-game edge over the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks, against whom they don’t.

For the Dodgers, the division title will be their 13th in the last 14 years.

Feasting on inferior competition, the Dodgers head into their week-long tour on a seven-game winning streak. 

Games against soft opponents will continue. The Dodgers on Friday will open a three-game series in Miami against the Marlins. From there, they will go to Cincinnati for a four-game series against the Reds that starts on Monday,

Ohtani didn’t play on Wednesday night for the sixth time in the last seven games and Freddie Freeman was sidelined with a sore knee, but the Dodgers didn’t have any problems disposing of the last-place Reds. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto reverted to his postseason form from last year, as he limited the Reds to a run and three hits over seven innings. He struck out 10 and walked one.

The Dodgers broke out offensively, as Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández and Kyle Tucker homered. 

Betts and Tucker in particular had productive nights, as each of them collected three htis. 

Hernández also doubled and drove in a team-high four runs.

Teoscar Hernández extended his recent hot streak, going 2 for 3 with three runs batted in.

“Obviously, to see Tuck really some some life the last couple nights and Mookie doing what he’s been doing recently, which has been great,” manager Dave Robets said. “Just across the board offensively fantastic.” 

MIAMI — Kodai Senga’s growth in the closer’s role has been noticeable to Mets interim manager Andy Green.

The latest example occurred Tuesday, when Senga concluded the ninth inning by throwing 10 straight forkballs against the Marlins for two strikeouts, giving him his seventh save in as many chances this season.

“I thought it was a great example of recognizing what is really working and what another team is sitting on,” Green said before Wednesday’s 15-14 slugfest at loanDepot park. “They obviously took some good swings on his fastball, which wasn’t a bad thing to start that inning when you have a three-run lead and understand you can pitch to contact a little bit early on.”

Senga allowed one run on two hits before implementing his adjustment.

“Once he recognized there was some danger there, flipping the forkball and winning with that for 10 straight pitches, that is just good game awareness, and I think that is a great thing to see.”

Senga, who struggled this season as a starter before moving to the bullpen, began Wednesday with a 2.03 ERA in his 14 relief appearances since Aug. 1.

He became the closer after Devin Williams was placed on the injured list Aug. 10 with a right shoulder strain.

The right-hander has indicated his preference is to remain a starter.

“He’s mentioned very directly that he wants to start, and we appreciate that directness and love the fact he advocates for what he is passionate about,” Green said. “We love even more the sacrifice he shows for the team to slide into a role we could really use him in and to really excel at it. It’s fun to watch a guy be really successful, and he’s clearly enjoyed the success.”

Jared Young’s discomfort running the bases a night earlier led to Green giving Young the start at DH instead of first base Wednesday.

Young went 2-for-5 with three runs scored.

The Mets have a day off Thursday, and Green’s hope is Young — who fouled a ball off his foot last weekend — will benefit from two straight days off his feet.

Brett Baty started at first base but left the game with left knee pain after running to first base on an RBI single in the second inning.

The Mets began the day as one of only two MLB teams (the Yankees were the other) with 10 players in double digits in homers this season.

Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Francisco Alvarez, Carson Benge, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien, Tyrone Taylor, Mark Vientos and Baty all had at least 10 homers.

For the last week, the Dodgers have tried to avoid the possibility.

But on Wednesday, the team finally reached a tipping point with Shohei Ohtani’s ongoing left knee and right arm injuries, with manager Dave Roberts announcing he will go on the injured list after he missed six of the club’s last seven games.

The move –– which also prompted the Dodgers to call up top prospect Josue De Paula –– comes as the latest troubling sign about the state of Ohtani’s health, which has faced mounting questions over the last several days.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could.”

Ohtani initially developed his knee problem in early June, but continued in his full-time two-way role for several weeks afterward.

Then, during a two-way start on July 3, he was removed from the game early as a hitter because of not only knee pain but also right biceps discomfort.

Ohtani has not pitched in a game since then, enduring repeated setbacks in his throwing progression that have dashed his chances of returning to the mound this year.

He had, however, continued to serve as the Dodgers’ everyday designated hitter, initially looking unaffected by his physical ailments as he made a push for his fifth career MVP Award.

Alas, circumstances started to change over the last several weeks. 

In 12 games from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2, Ohtani went 6-for-46 with no home runs, 19 strikeouts and a .494 OPS (the worst mark in a continuous dozen-game stretch in his MLB career). Last Wednesday, he went 0-for-4 with four punchouts for the first time this season.

More alarming that night was how, in his final at-bat that night, the 32-year-old was grimacing after each swing and shaking out his right arm.

That prompted the team to hold Ohtani out of the lineup for four-straight games over the rest of the week, before he returned for an 0-for-3 performance with a walk on Monday.

Initially, the team had hoped Ohtani could remain a regular presence in the lineup moving forward –– albeit with more off days mixed in down the stretch.

That’s why they didn’t place the slugger on the IL initially, not wanting to lose him for the minimum 15-day spell.

Alas, Ohtani missed Tuesday’s game with what Roberts said was “load management,” then was out again Wednesday following another setback physically.

During Monday night’s game, Ohtani felt renewed discomfort in his right arm after a swing, according to Roberts.

“Ultimately, after not playing him for four days and then playing him and not being able to play a day after an off day, it was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday, how are you going to feel on Saturday?’” Roberts said. “Talking to the doctors and training staff, there was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place.”

Thus, for his first time with the Dodgers, Ohtani is going on the IL.

The Dodgers will be able to backdate the stint to Tuesday. But, that still means Ohtani won’t be eligible to return until Sept. 23, when there will be just five games remaining in the regular season.

“I think [he was] probably disappointed in the sense that he wants to play,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s reaction to the decision. “But I think he realizes it’s the best thing for him, to give him the best chance to be the player he wants to be — we want him to be — in October.”

Indeed, the Dodgers are not only hoping Ohtani’s IL stint will help him progress health-wise, but give him time to “slowly build [him] back up,” as Roberts put it, as he tries to rediscover his superstar swing.

Roberts said Ohtani would likely be shut down from swinging for “a couple days” before resuming live batting practice sessions, and was expected to be ready to return once he is eligible to be activated.

“I think that if it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup,” Roberts said. “Now you’re talking about two weeks, 14 days [of rest and recovery]. I feel that that’s substantial. He’ll be in a much better place than he was today.”

Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani probably won’t get to 100% during his time on the IL.

“But I do think that with this time that we’re taking now, he’ll be in an adequate spot to finish the season,” Roberts added.

Ohtani will not accompany the team on its upcoming road trip to Miami and Cincinnati next week. They can only hope that by the time they get back, he’ll look (and feel) more like his typical self.

“The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing,” Roberts said. “[We’ll] kind of bet on that.”

After two tense, well-fought games between these two teams, I fully expected a laugher tonight where one side or the other could fully relax and coast to a victory. It seemed like the natural baseball thing to do to balance out a pair of games decided by two runs or less with a game in which a position player had to pitch. Instead, and thankfully for the fans, we got the trilogy in the series with many of the same dynamics: relatively low-scoring, excellent defensive plays, and late-inning drama. Unfortunately for the D-Backs, they were on the wrong side of each of those phenomenon as the Royals rode one big blast from superstar Bobby Witt Jr to a victory and avoided the home sweep. That result combined with a San Diego sweep over Washington to run their win streak to four means that the D-Backs end the night on the outside looking in of the postseason picture and continue to jockey with Padres for that final Wild Card slot.

Frustratingly, the D-Backs were in the unenviable position of sending out starting pitchers coming off injuries on consecutive nights with the associated, necessary limitations on their range in the game. After Corbin Burnes’ (mostly) successful return to the mound last night, it was Zac Gallen’s turn tonight and it was much of the same as we saw earlier in the year. He was able to throw plenty of strikes (62% of his 68 pitches), but struggled to generate much swing-and-miss, allowed far too many baserunners, and failed to keep the ball in the yard. Altogether, it wasn’t a bad outing and he certainly gave the team a chance to compete – even with a short leash from Torey Lovullo and some poor defense behind him – but any semblance of hope that he would be able to regain the ace-like form he had early in his career can likely be put to bed once and for all. Interestingly, Gallen did display a radically different pitching arsenal by functionally ditching his four-seamer (13% compared to a 37% average on the year) to instead lean on his slider (37% and 22%) and knuckle curve (22% compared to 19%).

The Royals struck first on the backs of consecutive singles from John Rave and Kyle Isbel before a double steal and a poor throw from James McCann to third base allowed the former to score. They added another in the home half of the third when Carter Jensen destroyed a lifeless slider that hung right in the middle of the plate and deposited it into the Kaufmann fountains. After Derek Law continued his strong season in the desert with another scoreless outing, the D-Backs turned to yet another pitcher returning from injury in Michael Soroka for his first relief outing of the year. He successfully saved a desperately depleted bullpen, but made one crucial mistake that was absolutely punished. In his first inning of relief, he gave up a one-out single to Isaac Collins and then walked Jensen on just six pitches ahead of Witt Jr who promptly pounced on the very first pitch he saw and sent it deep into the Kansas City night to give the Royals the lead for good. He rebounded from that debacle of an inning to provide four innings of solid relief work ahead of a much-needed off day tomorrow.

For their part, the Arizona offense did create a few threats throughout the game, but failed to break through on any of their opportunities, including from the very beginning of the game when they put two runners in scoring position with one out but failed to score off an excellent play from third baseman Nick Loftin. Overall, they were a woeful 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and failed to take advantage of nearly any of the scoring chances they had off Royals’ starter David Lynch or the gaggle of relief pitchers that followed. The offense will need to rediscover the magic that led them to such a strong offense earlier in the season if they have any hopes of making the playoffs and then making any noise once there. Maybe a long flight and an off day will help to reset the team on their final homestand of the season.

The Dodgers offense reawakened in a big way on Wednesday, as they completed a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 14-1 victory, extending their winning streak to a season-high seven games.

Both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rhett Lowder were able to work around a single baserunner in the first inning, with Yamamoto in particular picking off Sal Stewart after reaching on a two-out single. The Dodgers got two consecutive singles from Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker to begin the bottom of the second before Hunter Feduccia reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases with no outs. The Reds turned a 4-6-3 double play on a ground ball from Alex Freeland, but Hernández scored on the play giving the Dodgers the first lead of the night.

Will Smith doubled against Lowder in the bottom of the third and Mookie Betts extended the lead to three with his third home run of the homestand.

Yamamoto had faced the minimum over his through his first 10 hitters faced with six strikeouts, as the Stewart single was the only blemish on his night up to that point. Then he ran into the red-hot Elly De La Cruz with one out in the top of the fourth inning, who tattooed a home run for a fifth consecutive game, giving him a career-high 26 home runs and putting Cincinnati on the board.

The Dodgers wasted no time getting that run back, as after Tucker and Feduccia led off the bottom of the fourth, Freeland brought home his first run since being called back up with an RBI double to left-center field. Kiké Hernández swatted the third double of the inning to left-center field, bringing home two, extending the lead to five and knocking Lowder out of the game after just 3 1/3 innings.

A wild pitch from reliever Luis Mey brought home Hernández, and the Dodgers would make it a six-run inning with a two-run single from Teoscar Hernández, making it an eight-run lead. The Reds had to face 10 hitters in the inning before getting their next shot against Yamamoto.

After failing to cash in any runs in the fifth inning, the Dodgers made it a 10-run lead with a two-run home run from Max Muncy, giving the Dodgers their first double-digit lead since the All-Star break. 11 runs were the most runs scored in a home game since the Dodgers scored 12 against the San Diego Padres on July 2.

As for Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, he finished his night with his first quality start of the month of September, finishing with seven innings across 90 pitches, with his three hits being the fewest in any start since allowing just three hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 8. Yamamoto now has five consecutive starts with at least eight strikeouts, racking up 44 over his last 32 2/3 innings, with his 10 strikeouts tying a career-high. With a winning decision on Wednesday, Yamamoto has now set a new career-high in wins with 13.

The Dodgers kept pouring it on Cincinnati against Tony Santillan in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Kiké Hernández blasted a two-run home run to give the Dodgers a 12-run lead. It was Hernández’s first home run since August 19, and it was his first home run of the year against a pitcher not named Kyle Freeland.

Mookie Betts finished Wednesday with a 3-5 performance, and on the nine-game homestand, Betts hit .375 with three home runs and 13 RBI, raising his season OPS from .698 at the start of September all the way to 742. Betts also extended his on-base streak to 18 games.

Teoscar Hernández added a pair of hits in what has been a torrid 10-game hitting streak. Hernández in those 10 games is now hitting .514 with two home runs and 14 RBI, raising his season OPS from .692 entering the final game of August to .761.

Kyle Tucker finished Wednesday with his first multi-hit game since Aug. 19, collecting a double, a single and a home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 13-run lead. It’s the first time all season that Tucker has collected multiple home runs in a single homestand.

With their seventh straight win, the Dodgers are now four full games over the Atlanta Braves for the second seed in the National League, still trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 1 1/2 games for the top spot.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Mookie Betts (19), Max Muncy (27), Kiké Hernández (3), Kyle Tucker (13); Elly De La Cruz (26)
• WP— Yoshinobu Yamamoto (13-8): 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
• LP— Rhett Lowder (6-10): 3 1/3 IP, 7 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday as they venture on a seven-game road trip beginning Friday in Miami against the Marlins (4:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Starters for both teams have yet to be announced.

With injuries suddenly mounting to their big-league lineup, the Dodgers are turning to one of the best prospects in the sport to help bolster their offense.

Outfielder Josue De Paula is being called up directly from double-A, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The California Post on Wednesday, and will be officially activated on Friday when the Dodgers open a road trip in Miami.

The move, which was first reported by ESPN, comes as the Dodgers plan to place Shohei Ohtani on the injured amid his ongoing left knee and right arm issues, as manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday night.

Roberts had said pregame that an injured list stint was being considered for Ohtani.

The Dodgers were also without Freddie Freeman on Wednesday because of a right knee problem, but the IL was “absolutely not” on the table for him, according to Roberts.

The promotion of De Paula represents an aggressive move from the Dodgers’ front office, turning to a 21-year-old slugger who is ranked as the sixth-best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

With the organization’s double-A affiliate in Tulsa this year, De Paula has had the best campaign of his minor-league career, batting .303 with 27 home runs, 101 RBIs, almost as many walks (87) as strikeouts (81) and 31 stolen bases for good measure.

He is also a two-time participant in the MLB Futures Game, and won MVP honors last season after hitting a home run in the All-Star week event.

As a corner outfielder, his defense remains a long-term question mark — though, many in the organization have lauded the improvements he has made this year.

For the Dodgers right now, however, his value will be as another left-handed hitting option, set to get the “lion’s share” of at-bats at designated hitter to replace Ohtani after he missed six of the last seven games managing his injuries.

The Dodgers did have left-handed alternatives in triple-A to consider, from current 40-man rostered players like Ryan Ward and Hyeseong Kim, to another highly-touted corner outfield prospect in James Tibbs III.

But unlike Tibbs, De Paula was already going to have to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason in order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

And unlike anyone else in the Dodgers’ system, he has a level of offensive upside that could quickly prove impactful in the majors — prompting him to make the ever-rare jump straight from double-A.

“I think that our player development group is very confident in his ability to conduct an at-bat,” Roberts said. “This is just a good opportunity for him to kind of cut his teeth in the big leagues.”

Top Mets pitching prospect Jonathan Santucci had another strong start for Syracuse, another sign that the young left-hander could be figuring it out in Triple-A.

Wednesday against St. Paul, Santucci allowed one run on five hits (no walks) while striking out six batters across five innings. Santucci struck out two batters in the first before eliminating a runner with an inning-ending double play in the second. The third inning saw Santucci strike out one in a 1-2-3 frame before stranding a runner in the fourth, picking up two more strikeouts in the process.

Santucci's final inning saw his one mistake. After getting the first batter out, Santucci allowed a solo shot to Cody Morissette on a 2-2 slider way up in the zone. After Santucci struck out the next batter, he allowed back-to-back singles but bounced back by getting Emmanuel Rodriguez to ground out to end the threat.

Wednesday's game was the third straight start where Santucci went at least five innings and struck out six batters. It's also the third straight start where Santucci allowed two or fewer runs, bringing his Triple-A ERA to 5.28 after it was a season-high 7.71. 

Santucci started his 2026 season in Double-A Binghamton and saw a lot of success. In 19 starts, he pitched to a 3.57 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He also struck out 120 batters across 90.2 innings. His performance the first few months of the season led to a promotion in late July. But the southpaw struggled to adjust to the new level, especially finding the strike zone. Santucci walked at least three batters in each of his first four starts with Syracuse and allowed 14 runs (12 earned) across 14.0 innings in that span.

After his performance Wednesday, Santucci's overall 2026 ERA is now 3.99 and he has struck out 157 batters across 119.2 innings.

Though the Dodgers did not call up an outfielder when active roster limits expanded on September 1, they have decided to call up Josue De Paula, their top prospect, directly from Double-A, per Alden González of ESPN, Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic, Jack Harris of the California Post, and Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

De Paula, who was rated the No. 4 prospect in baseball by Baseball America in early August, is hitting .303/.401/.547 this season for Tulsa, with 27 home runs, 37 doubles, and 31 stolen bases this season, and almost as many walks (81) as strikeouts (87). He homered and doubled for Tulsa on Wednesday.

The bat for the 21-year-old De Paula has never been in question, but the issue is whether he’s playablein the outfield. But with news on Wednesday that Shohei Ohtani’s right biceps injury, which kept him out of a sixth game out of the last seven, and is headed for the injured list.

Designated hitter is open for De Paula, and a way for regular playing time. He’ll start at DH on Friday in Miami, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

But sorting out where De Paula plays is a future puzzle to solve for Dave Roberts. For now, just know the Dodgers are taking a chance on their top prospect being ready for the big leagues, and their most anticipated call-up since Cody Bellinger in 2017.

De Paula, signed as an amateur in 2022, would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and the Dodgers were going to add him to the 40-man roster in November anyway. This just accelerates the timetable.

Atlanta lost to the Rays again and while they remain in a strong position moving into the playoffs, the offense has been too bad for too long to feel good about this club going into October, especially with the questions that exist around the pitching staff.

Braves News

The Braves shuffled the back of their pitching staff, as Bryce Elder hits the IL.

Atlanta lost again to the Rays, as the offense continues to disappoint.

MLB News

The Giants claimed Duncan Davitt off waivers from Atlanta.

The Yankees are set to put Jazz Chisholm on the IL, bringing up Anthony Volpe in his place.

The Orioles placed Blaze Alexander on the IL, as he has had a solid year in Baltimore.

The Diamondbacks activated pitchers Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka off the 60-day and 15-day ILs, respectively.

Star NFL cornerback Denzel Ward purchased a minority share in the Cleveland Guardians.