Category: MLB

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani says his right biceps is not 100% in addition to his sore left knee, and both factored into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar not throwing a bullpen session.

The four-time MVP hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3 but has continued to play regularly as the designated hitter for Los Angeles.

“My biceps is not 100%,” Ohtani said through a translator while speaking with media for the first time since before the All-Star break. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

Ohtani hit his 10th leadoff home run of the season in a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners. It was his 28th leadoff shot as a Dodger, tying him with the late Davey Lopes for second all-time. Ohtani finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a double, three RBIs and a run.

“I do think that the road trip was exhausting for everyone. I do think that with the day off, he came in fresh and looked more like himself,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly the way he swung the bat, the way he’s running, he’s not compromised. Until I hear otherwise, he’s going to be in the lineup.”

Ohtani had a lubricant injection in his knee just before the All-Star break and he skipped the game in Philadelphia to rest.

“I really took the All-Star break as that opportunity to really stay off my knees,” he said. “It’s really something that I have to just deal with over the course of the season.”

Ohtani said in Japanese that the injection wasn’t a cure-all and he mentioned “a decision that I’m going to ultimately make after the season’s over” without clarifying what he was referring to.

He explained the lingering knee soreness was caused by pitching.

“In terms of running, I’m not exactly at 100% capacity,” he said. “When I know it’s not, then it’s always a little harder to be aggressive on the basepath.”

Ohtani said his knee is getting better, which is a priority.

“I don’t think the team has really come to a place exactly where, do I pitch through it or not?” he said. “That’s still really up in the air.”

If Ohtani’s health issues don’t improve, Roberts was asked whether it’s possible the right-hander wouldn’t pitch in the postseason for the two-time defending World Series champions.

“I guess anything’s possible, but for me, it’s highly unlikely,” Roberts said. “Given where we’re at in the calendar, if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch. All I know is that we’re trying to, I’m trying to, give him the best opportunity to be as healthy as possible, so he can help us on both ends of the baseball.”

Roberts said when Ohtani is cleared to pitch again, he’ll need to go through a buildup process.

“I don’t think anyone can kind of foresee what that looks like,” the manager said.

WASHINGTON — Toronto pitcher Shane Bieber’s start against the Washington Nationals was anything but a walk in the park.

The former Cy Young Award winner issued walks to six of the nine batters he faced — including three with the bases loaded — before departing after two-thirds of an inning in the Blue Jays’ 8-6 loss. In his previous 149 pitching appearances, the 31-year-old right-hander’s high for walks was five.

According to Stathead/Baseball Reference, Bieber is the 11th pitcher in major league history to walk at least six while recording two outs or less, and the first to do so since Florida’s Ryan Dempster on Oct. 5, 2001, at Atlanta.

Bieber said he had difficulty gripping the ball and struggled with his command as a result. Bieber didn’t walk anyone in his previous start when he allowed one run in seven innings against Tampa Bay.

“You have to find a way to get through it, right, and I wasn’t able to do that tonight,” Bieber said. “Ultimately, I follow up what was maybe my best start as a Blue Jay with what was definitely my worst.”

Bieber is the first Cy Young winner to have such an outing, although Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Christy Mathewson did, too. Bieber won the AL Cy Young in 2020.

Bieber threw 42 pitches, with only 15 strikes. He is the second player this season to throw that many pitches with so few strikes. Kansas City’s Eric Cerantola threw 14 strikes in a 42-pitch relief outing against Tampa Bay on June 30.

“I have no excuses,” Bieber said. “I have to find a way to get out of that first inning. Dry my hands off and change shirts and eat up innings after that. That’s what I was trying to do and unfortunately I wasn’t able to. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like that happen.”

Washington’s James Wood led off the first with a walk, and Luis García Jr. followed with a grounder to second. Dylan Crews then earned a free pass, and CJ Abrams followed with a well-placed infield single.

The typically free-swinging Keibert Ruiz followed with a four-pitch walk that scored the first run, and Daylen Lile drew another walk that pushed in another run. Nasim Nuñez hit a sacrifice fly before Jorbit Vivas loaded the bases again with the inning’s fifth walk, prompting a mound visit from Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker.

Jacob Young then took six pitches --- three balls and then two called strikes followed by a slider well outside the zone --- to force in a fourth run. That prompted manager John Schneider to head to the mound and end Bieber’s outing.

It was Bieber’s seventh start of the season after missing almost three months with elbow inflammation. He was limited to a combined nine regular-season starts over the previous two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024.

“Kind of just the last thing we thought was going to happen with him right there,” Schneider said. “When you get up to that pitch count in the first, with him, with his history and everything, just didn’t want to push it.”

Reliever Brendon Little got Wood to ground out to end the inning.

WASHINGTON — Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left an 8-6 loss to the Washington Nationals with right hamstring tightness.

He was replaced in the bottom of the fourth inning by Kazuma Okamoto.

Guerrero, a six-time All-Star, grounded into a double play and reached on an infield single in his two at-bats. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Guerrero felt tightness when he touched first base on his single and turned toward second after an errant throw.

“He was a little sore and he wanted to stay in,” Schneider said. “It was my call just to be careful with him and not have anything worse happen. ... He checked out pretty good and we’ll see how he is tomorrow. It’s a quick turnaround and, again, just trying to be smart with him. I don’t want to lose him for an extended period of time.”

Guerrero is hitting .265 with six homers and 44 RBIs this season.

The 27-year-old slugger has played at least 156 games in each of the past five seasons. He has played in 103 of Toronto’s 108 games this year.

The Mets (45-62) and the Braves (62-44) conclude their three-game series tonight.

After heavy rains in the tri-state area last night, these teams were slated to play Game 2 of the series early Wednesday afternoon.

As a refresher, the Mets took the opener on Monday night, 14-3. Francisco Lindor led the offensive assault with a couple of home runs and six RBIs. Martin Perez got beat up early but the brunt of the damage came against Connor Thomas who allowed 11 runs over just 2.2 innings.

Tonight, Atlanta turns to its ace, Chris Sale (11-6, 2.19 ERA). Sale has once again been one of the National League's most dominant starters. Over his last eight starts, the veteran has allowed 12 earned runs in 44 innings. The Mets counter with Christian Scott (3-2, 3.13 ERA), who has quietly put together a strong season. Since the start of May, the 27-year-old has pitched 62 innings and allowed just 21 earned runs.

Lets dive into tonight's matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game Details and How to Watch: Braves vs. Mets

• Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
• Time: 7:10PM EST
• Site: Citi Field
• City: Queens, NY
• Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, BravesVision, SNY

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

The Latest Odds: Braves vs. Mets

The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Atlanta Braves (-156), New York Mets (+129)
• Spread: Braves -1.5 (+113), Mets +1.5 (-136)
• Total: 7.5 runs

Probable Starting Pitchers – Braves vs. Mets for July 29

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• Braves: Chris Sale

  Season Totals: 111.0 IP, 11-6, 2.19 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 134K, 26 BB

• Mets: Christian Scott

  Season Totals: 63.1 IP, 3-2, 3.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 78K, 29 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Braves vs. Mets

• Marcus Semien is 6-18 (.333) with 3 HRs against Chris Sale
• With 3 hits last night, Semien is 6-28 (.214) in July
• Francisco Lindor is 16-41 (.390) with 2 HRs against Sale
• Lindor went 3-5 last night to snap a 1-12 skid over his previous 3 games
• Michael Harris II is 4-5 (.800) in his career against Christian Scott
• Harris has hit in 5 straight games (7-21)

• Drake Baldwin has hit in 6 straight games (8-23)

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top Betting Trends & Insights: Braves vs. Mets

• The Braves are 56-50 on the Run Line this season
• The Mets are 49-58 on the Run Line this season
• The OVER has cashed 52 times in Atlanta’s 106 games this season (52-48-6)
• The OVER has cashed 48 times in New York’s 107 games this season (48-50-9)

Expert picks & predictions: Braves vs. Mets

Rotoworld Bet Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Braves and the Mets:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Braves on the Run Line.

• Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 7.5

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FRISCO, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit a solo homer and made a nifty defensive play in a rehab appearance for Double-A Frisco after being sidelined all this month because of lower back inflammation.

Seager is on the injured list for the third time this season, and has missed 52 games for Texas — one more than he has played for the AL West-leading Rangers. They are 24-28 without the two-time World Series MVP.

Seager went 1 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout against Corpus Christi, homering in the fifth before being replaced in the field after that inning. The top of the third ended when the shortstop made a backhanded stop in the hole and made a strong throw to first for the out.

His last game had been June 30 at Toronto, when he was removed in the first inning because of back discomfort. The rehab appearance came after Seager took live batting practice the previous two days before Rangers home games.

It wasn’t immediately clear when he would rejoin the big league club.

There also are questions about whether Texas might consider trading the 32-year-old shortstop, who is in the fifth season of a 10-year, $325 million contract.

Seager has hit .182 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs in 51 games for the Rangers. He has missed 21 games since going on the injured list again July 1 because of lower back inflammation, the same reason he was out 19 games for another IL stint from May 15-June 4.

He also missed 12 games on the concussion list from June 12-24 after a home-plate collision with Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen.

Seager started 42 of the Rangers’ first 43 games. When he went on the IL the first time, he was hitless in seven consecutive games and mired in an 0-for-27 slump, both the worst streaks in his 12 big league seasons.

DETROIT — Tarik Skubal still is the ace of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff as far as manager A.J. Hinch is concerned.

Hinch confirmed Skubal still is scheduled to start against the Baltimore Orioles.

With the Tigers at 50-57 and the Aug. 3 trade deadline quickly approaching, it seemed possible that the Tigers would rest Skubal to avoid a possible injury heading into the trade deadline.

“We’re trying to win the series to put us in a better position to be a playoff team,” Hinch said. “The information I have is, win the series. We obviously need to win tonight to get to that position. But I fully expect him to start.”

The two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner is 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings since returning from experimental elbow surgery in just six weeks.

Skubal has made it clear he wants to finish the season with the Tigers and lead them to a third straight postseason berth. But, the decision is out of his hands. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and with Scott Boras as his agent, the odds are high that he’s going to make it to the open market.

That’s a tough spot for a franchise that doesn’t normally compete with the Dodgers, Yankees and other big-city teams for top free agents. That means Scott Harris, Detroit’s president of baseball operations, has to focus on the balance between winning this season and making sure Skubal doesn’t leave for nothing.

Skubal obviously is tired of talking about the trade possibilities, and is staying focused on facing the Orioles.

“I’m pitching tomorrow and I’ve got something cool that I want to accomplish at home,” he said, referring to the one strikeout he needs to reach 1,000 for his career. “That hasn’t changed.”

Skubal still is around, but the Tigers did say goodbye to the player who was his exclusive catcher early in his career.

Catcher Jake Rogers was designated for assignment to make room for Javier Báez, who has been out since April 28 with an ankle injury.

Ironically, the Tigers acquired Rogers the last time they dealt away their ace — he was part of the return when Justin Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline.

Rogers was considered one of the game’s best defensive catchers from the day he made his debut in 2019, but his bat kept him from having a better career in Detroit. He spent 2020 on Detroit’s taxi squad, then missed the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery.

He’s hitting .161 in 34 games this year, bringing his career average to .197, and lost his job as Skubal’s personal catcher to All-Star Dillon Dingler.

None of that made it easier for his teammates when they found out.

“We were all holding back tears,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “Jake was a big piece of this team for a long time. He helped create our identity. Talk about a guy who showed up each and every day as the same guy.

“It hurts.”

Hinch agreed.

“It’s tough,” he said. “I love Jake. He’s been here as long as I have.”

The Yankees (61-46) look to make it three straight over the White Sox (55-51) tonight at Rate Field following last night’s 3-2 win.

Last night was a tightly contested pitching duel that saw the Yankees build an early lead and then survive a late White Sox rally. New York scored all three of its runs in the second inning against White Sox starter Anthony Kay. The rally began when Jasson Domínguez singled and Trent Grisham followed with a hit. Anthony Volpe then drilled an RBI double to deep center field, scoring Domínguez. Two batters later, Max Schuemann delivered the biggest hit of the game, a two-run double that plated both Grisham and Volpe for a 3-0 Yankees lead. The story for most of the evening, though, was Gerrit Cole, who looked dominant in his sixth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. Cole worked six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out seven and walking two. Chicago struggled to generate offense until the ninth inning. Yankees closer David Bednar entered looking for his 22nd save, but Braden Montgomery singled and Chase Meidroth followed with a dramatic two-run homer to left field, trimming the deficit to 3-2. Bednar regrouped, however, striking out former Yankee Everson Pereira to end the game and secure the save.

The Yankees have now won five of their last six games and are within 1½ games of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East, while the White Sox remain atop the AL Central despite dropping four of their last five.

It seemed like the Sox were facing the ace of the Yankees’ staff last night but tonight Chicago must face New York's current ace, Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2-07 ERA). His most recent start came on July 24 against the Phillies. He threw 7.1 shutout innings allowing just three hits while striking out 12. The White Sox will send Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49 ERA) to the bump. The right-hander has had a breakthrough season but has been inconsistent of late allowing 12 earned runs over his last 18 innings.

Lets dive further into tonight’s game and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. White Sox

• Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
• Time: 7:40PM EST
• Site: Rate Field
• City: Chicago, IL
• Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Prime Video, CSN, WCIU-TV

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

The Latest Odds: Yankees vs. White Sox

The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: New York Yankees (-144), Chicago White Sox (+119)
• Spread: Yankees -1.5 (+119), White Sox +1.5 (-144)
• Total: 7.5 runs

Probable Starting Pitchers – Yankees vs. White Sox for July 29

• White Sox: Davis Martin
  Season Totals: 111.0 IP, 9-5, 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 100K, 33 BB
• Yankees: Cam Schlittler
  Season Totals: 130.1 IP, 10-6, 2.07 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 157K, 25 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. White Sox

• Trent Grisham picked up a hit last night to snap an 0-15 skid
• Paul Goldschmidt saw his modest 4-game hitting streak snapped last night
• Jasson Dominguez is 4-8 in this series and has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games (10-36)
• Colson Montgomery is 0-3 with 2 Ks in his career against Cam Schlittler
• Sam Antonacci is 0-5 in this series
• Munetaka Murakami has struck out 3 times in 9 trips to the plate this series

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top Betting Trends & Insights: Yankees vs. White Sox

• The White Sox are 62-43 on the Run Line this season
• The Yankees are 51-55 on the Run Line this season
• The OVER has cashed 59 times in Chicago’s 105 games this season (59-44-2)
• The OVER has cashed 45 times in New York’s 106 games this season (45-57-4)

Expert picks & predictions: Yankees vs. White Sox

Rotoworld Bet Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Yankees and the White Sox:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.5

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)