MLB trade rumors and news: Ohtani goes hitless in return from injured list

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• Roughly seven months and one week after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Shohei Ohtani returned to the Angels’ active roster and lineup as a designated hitter on Tuesday night. Since he had no spring training and didn’t go on a rehab assignment prior to his activation, it figured that he could be a bit rusty, and it seemed as if that was the case Tuesday, as he went 0 for 4 with a walk, two strikeouts, and an RBI groundout.
• Mike Fiers threw the second no-hitter of his career and the first in the major leagues this season on Tuesday night, keeping the Reds out of the hit column while throwing 131 pitches. Interestingly, he needed fewer pitches to complete the no-no than he did in his first one — he threw 134 pitches while no-hitting the Dodgers in 2015.
• After a really tough start to the season, the Red Sox have been showing signs of turning things around and are flirting with .500 on the season now. Unfortunately, they got some unfortunate news on Monday as they had to place David Price on the injured list with elbow tendinitis.
• The Yankees are the new Mets, as the Bronx Bombers have now placed James Paxton on the injured list with left knee inflammation. Big Maple isn’t expected to be out for an extended period of time, but at this point anything is possible in the Bronx. But if he dealt with an eagle attacking him like a champ, left knee pain should be fine.
• Hunter Dozier’s prospect star seemed to have faded after he struggled in his first six professional seasons. Dozier has arguably been the best player in the American League this season, though, and he looks to be developing into a legitimate star.
• The Braves’ Dansby Swanson had a rough couple of seasons in 2017 and 2018 at the plate. However, in 2019 he looks like a brand new hitter, and our own Stephen Tolbert took a look at what has changed for Swanson and if these changes appear to be sustainable.
• Cleveland was dealt a big blow to its rotation last Wednesday, as ace Corey Kluber suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right ulna after being hit in the elbow by a line drive. The 33-year-old right-handed will be re-evaluated today to confirm the diagnosis and determine a timetable.
• The Nationals have placed young phenom Juan Soto on the injured list with back spasms. He’ll rest up and receive some treatment and hopefully be taking swings soon.
• Padres rookie sensation Fernando Tatis Jr. has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained hamstring and will miss “a number of weeks,” according to manager Andy Green. Manny Machado, he of the infamous “I’m a shortstop, I play shortstop” quote, will shift back to shortstop in Tatis Jr.’s absence. I smell an inside job.
• Our Andersen Pickard examines the early season trends in the AL East...you know, other than literally no one being able to stay healthy.
• The Yankees have been decimated by injuries and needed some help to shore up their roster depth and versatility until they get some guys healthy. To that end, New York acquired Cameron Maybin in a deal for cash from the Indians.
• Nathan Eovaldi is no stranger to arm trouble, but he did parlay a strong return from injury last season into a lucrative four year deal with the Red Sox. Unfortunately, Boston will be without Eovaldi for a while, as he had a surgical procedure on his elbow that will keep him out of action for at least 4-6 weeks.
• There have been a ton of extensions recently around baseball, with many of them given to some of the game’s finest young stars. To keep up with all of the extensions we have seen, here is a tracker our own Cristiana Caruso put together.
• Let’s gawk at some crazy Triple-A stats, because baseball is fun and we’re all having a great time.
• Mike Soroka’s changeup is better than advertised and make things even more exciting for the next generation of Braves players.
• Our own Andersen Pickard writes that MLB’s decision to shorten mid-inning breaks could have serious consequences for the league from a business standpoint.
• Here’s a hot serving of truth: The unwritten rules of baseball will never “let the kids play.”
• Not only is MLB implementing some rule changes over the next couple of years, but they are also workshopping other changes in the independent Atlantic League to see how things work or don’t work. Our own Stephen Tolbert took a look at these potential changes to see what impacts they could have on games.
• Let’s take a moment to be shocked and surprised: MLB’s revised roster rules could end up punishing the players. That’s thanks to a new limit on pitchers — while it’s yet to be confirmed, multiple reports have stated that come 2020, teams will only be allowed to carry 13 pitchers on their big-league roster — and a significant reduction on September call-ups.