Fantasy News

• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Continues to destroy baseballs

  Rotowire May 7, 2024

  Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and two stolen bases Monday in a 6-3 victory versus Miami. Fresh off being named the National League's Player of the Week after posting an absurd .524/.583/.952 slash line over his previous five games, Ohtani crushed a 441-foot, two-run homer in his first at-bat Monday to open the scoring for Los Angeles. He went on to notch his third straight multi-hit game and added a pair of steals for good measure, giving him four thefts over his past four games. It took Ohtani nine games as a Dodger before he hit his first long ball, but he's since gone deep 11 times -- including four times over his past three games -- to take over the major-league lead in that category. He's also tied for second in the majors with 31 runs, tied for sixth with 27 RBI and leads all of baseball with a 1.139 OPS. In addition, Ohtani has nine stolen bases, putting him on the verge of becoming the league's first player with double-digit homers and thefts this season.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Mashes eighth homer

  Rotowire May 5, 2024

  Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over Atlanta. Ohtani kicked off the bottom of the third with a leadoff home run, jumping on a hanging four-seamer from Bryce Elder to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The superstar slugger also drove in a second run on a single in the fourth and finished the contest with three hits for the fourth time this season. Ohtani has now driven in at least one run in eight of his last 11 games, and he extended his hitting streak to four games with Saturday's performance.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Notches two steals Friday

  Rotowire May 4, 2024

  Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, two walks and two stolen bases Friday in a 4-3 extra-innings victory versus Atlanta. Ohtani's first theft came in the third inning, and it led to Los Angeles' first run, as Will Smith followed with a two-out RBI single. It looked like Ohtani would be picked off in the eighth frame, but Matt Olson mishandled the throw to first base, allowing the Japanese superstar to make it to second base safely. Ohtani later came up with a huge hit in the bottom of the 10th, stroking a one-out single to center field to plate the tying run after Atlanta had scored in the top of the frame. Ohtani continues to put up big numbers for the Dodgers and for fantasy managers, as he's slashing .336/.405/.612 with seven homers, 20 RBI, 26 runs and seven steals (in seven attempts) through 153 plate appearances.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Receiving first day off

  Rotowire May 1, 2024

  Ohtani is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. It hasn't been reported that Ohtani is dealing with any type of injury, so he's presumably just receiving his first rest day of the season. Ohtani still has a 1.017 OPS on the campaign but has gone 5-for-26 over the past six games, and Thursday's team off day will provide a chance for two straight days to reset. Will Smith will rest his legs as the designated hitter while Austin Barnes starts behind the plate.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Bashes long homer

  Rotowire Apr 24, 2024

  Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Washington. Ohtani capped the scoring in the contest with a 450-foot solo blast to right-center field. Per MLB.com, the homer was hit at 118.7 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball in the majors so far this season. It also extended Ohtani's hitting streak to eight games, during which he is slashing .414/.514/.655 with two long balls, four RBI, seven runs, three steals and a 6:6 BB:K.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Goes deep Sunday

  Rotowire Apr 22, 2024

  Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Sunday's win over the Mets. Ohtani opened up the scoring with a two-run blast off Adrian Houser in the third inning for his first round tripper since April 12. Ohtani has notched at least one hit in all but three games so far this season. He's slashing .368/.431/.663 with five homers, 13 RBI, 19 runs and a 12:20 BB:K in 109 plate appearances. Ohtani currently leads MLB with a .368 average and 63 total bases.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Picks up steal in loss

  Rotowire Apr 16, 2024

  Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base Monday in a loss to the Nationals. Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 15 games with a first-inning single that led to the Dodgers' first run. The slugger also reached on catcher's interference in the sixth frame, and he subsequently stole second base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored the team's second run on a Will Smith groundout. Ohtani is giving the Dodgers consistent offensive production out of the No. 2 slot in the lineup, slashing .338/.384/.648 with four homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs and three stolen bases through 86 plate appearances.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Steals base Saturday

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Ohtani went 0-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a stolen base in a 5-2 win against the Padres on Saturday. Ohtani had his eight-game hitting streak snapped Saturday, but he still reached base twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The slugger added to his fantasy output with his second theft of the campaign. Ohtani hasn't had much difficulty adjusting to the National League, slashing .343/.392/.686 with four home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs and a 7:14 BB:K through 79 plate appearances.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Blasts fourth homer

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's loss to the Padres. Ohtani opened the scoring for the Dodgers, crushing a 403-foot homer to center off Michael King in the first inning. With his three-hit evening, the Dodgers designated hitter extended his current hitting streak to eight games. Ohtani is showing no ill effects from his offseason elbow surgery, slashing .353/.392/.706 over 74 plate appearances.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Hot streak continues

  Rotowire Apr 9, 2024

  Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles and an additional run scored in Monday's win against the Twins. Ohtani has now generated multiple hits in each of his last five games, racking up three homers and seven runs scored with a .500 batting average. Sandwiched between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the Dodgers' batting order on most nights, Ohtani could be in line for a career year at the plate.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers again Friday

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a double and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-7 loss to the Cubs. Ohtani cut the Dodgers' deficit to 6-4 with a long ball off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole. After going eight games without a home run to start his Dodgers tenure, Ohtani has now gone yard in back-to-back games. He's 12-for-42 with six RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base so far this season.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Clubs first homer with Dodgers

  Rotowire Apr 4, 2024

  Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 5-4 win against the Giants on Wednesday. Ohtani had gone homerless over his first eight games with Los Angeles before smashing a 430-foot solo shot in the seventh inning Wednesday to supply his team with a critical insurance run. It was the two-way star's fourth extra-base hit among his 10 total knocks this season, and the long ball produced his fourth RBI. Though he hasn't come blazing out of the gates in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani has slashed a respectable .270/.317/.432 and has benefitted from the club's robust offense by scoring seven runs through nine games.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Continues throwing program

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Ohtani (elbow) has been throwing every other day, and he made 50 throws from approximately 60 feet on flat ground Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Ohtani was cleared to begin a throwing program in late March, and he's been engaging in an every-other-day program as he begins to build his arm back up following last September's Tommy John surgery. The two-way star won't pitch this season, but he's expected to be a part of the Dodgers' rotation next year, and he reportedly could see some time in the outfield or at first base later in the current campaign if the organization is comfortable with his rehab progress. Ohtani will stick to being the team's everyday DH in the meantime, though he's off to a slow start with a .242/.297/.333 slash line and no homers through 37 plate appearances.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Cleared for throwing program

  Rotowire Mar 25, 2024

  Ohtani (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports. Ohtani was spotted throwing in the outfield following a scheduled press conference Monday afternoon to address the formal investigation into the matter involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, where Ohtani denied knowledge of Mizuhara using his money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker and voiced his full cooperation with the investigation, per Sportsnet LA. "I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf," said Ohtani. "And I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple days ago, I didn't know this was happening." As for Ohtani's rehab from elbow surgery, the team previously indicated that he'd begin a throwing program upon returning to Los Angeles, and if all goes well, he could have an outside shot to play in the outfield or at first base later in the season.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: MLB opens formal investigation

  Rotowire Mar 22, 2024

  Major League Baseball issued a statement Friday announcing that its Department of Investigations has begun the formal process of investigating the matter involving Ohtani and his longtime interpreter. "Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter." Ohtani's interpreter was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday and Ohtani's camp is accusing Mizuhara of using the player's money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker. While it was reported Thursday that Ohtani was not under investigation by the league, the commissioner's office has since decided this matter warrants a closer look. There is a lot about the situation that is uncertain and that uncertainty will likely alter Ohtani's fantasy draft positioning over the rest of March.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Nabs two hits, steal in opener

  Rotowire Mar 20, 2024

  Ohtani went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in the Dodgers' 5-2 victory over San Diego in South Korea on Wednesday. Ohtani's first plate appearance as a Dodger ended anticlimactically with a fielder's choice grounder, but the team's free-agent prize made an impact later in the contest, singling and stealing a base in the third inning and driving home a run with another single in the eighth. There should be plenty of opportunities for the slugger to produce this season while batting second in the order between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and Wednesday's game suggested that he won't be held back on the bases when he gets onboard. Ohtani swiped 20 or more bags in two of the past three seasons and is a good candidate to reach that mark again this year.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Could play field later in season

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Ohtani (elbow) is set to begin a throwing progression when the Dodgers return to Los Angeles this weekend following their two-game, season-opening series in South Korea versus the Padres on Wednesday and Thursday, and manager Dave Roberts hasn't ruled out the possibility of Ohtani (elbow) playing the field later in the 2024 campaign, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Roberts reiterated Monday that Ohtani's sole focus for now is serving as the Dodgers' full-time designated hitter, and whether the 29-year-old could be used in the outfield or at first base at some point later in the season will depend on how his throwing program comes along. Ohtani hasn't seen playing time in the outfield with any regularity since 2014 while he was still in Japan, so the idea that he could be used in left field or right field less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery seems far-fetched, at best. Still, it's interesting that the possibility hasn't been totally nixed.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers in first spring game

  Rotowire Feb 28, 2024

  Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 9-6 Cactus League win against the White Sox. Ohtani logged his first appearance as a Dodger and his first game action since undergoing elbow surgery last September. The two-way star's first at-bat was anticlimactic, as he struck out looking on three pitches, and he subsequently grounded into a double play in his second trip to the plate. However, Ohtani didn't disappoint in his final plate appearance, lofting an opposite-field homer off Dominic Leone in the fifth frame. With Ohtani now taking part in Cactus League contests, there should be no doubt that he'll be ready to play when the Dodgers kick off the regular season in South Korea on March 20 versus the Padres.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Batting second in Cactus debut

  Rotowire Feb 27, 2024

  Ohtani (elbow) is starting at designated hitter and batting second for the Dodgers on Tuesday versus the White Sox in his Cactus League debut, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports. Ohtani will be flanked by Mookie Betts in the leadoff spot and Freddie Freeman in the three-hole in what likely is a preview of the top third of the Dodgers' Opening Day batting order. The superstar has been eased into things at the start of spring training as he comes back from September's right elbow surgery, but there's never been much doubt that Ohtani will be ready to roll for the team's March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Padres.

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• Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Spring debut scheduled for Tuesday

  Rotowire Feb 25, 2024

  Ohtani (elbow) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the White Sox, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports. Ohtani didn't appear in the first few games of spring training as he eased into action following right elbow surgery, but he'll make his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform Tuesday. Though the team will likely exercise caution with the 29-year-old as he prepares for a role as a designated hitter to begin the 2024 season, he'll have just over three weeks to prepare before the Dodgers open the campaign against the Padres in South Korea on March 20. Ohtani expects to get in about 50 competitive at-bats between spring games and simulated games ahead of the season opener.

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