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NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was placed on the injured list Saturday for the first time in his career because of a strained left oblique.

Rutschman, 27, had an MRI on Saturday morning, and the Orioles announced the move about 15 minutes before their game against the New York Yankees.

“He’s been super durable, especially for a catcher,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Unfortunately, if he does, if this is a thing, he’s going to go, but hopefully it’s not too long.”

Rutschman had been in Baltimore’s original lineup Friday as the designated hitter before feeling pain during batting practice and being scratched. The Orioles recalled Maverick Handley, who will serve as the backup to Gary Sanchez until Rutschman returns.

Rutschman is hitting .227 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games this season. He has been among the more durable catchers in the majors. After playing 113 games following his debut in May 2022, he appeared in 154 games in 2023 and 148 last season.

Baltimore’s lineup took another hit when infielder Jordan Westburg exited Saturday’s game against the Yankees in the third inning after jamming his left index finger while stealing a base, despite wearing a protective glove. He was seen wincing afterward.

Westburg, who started at designated hitter, walked in the first inning and stole second during an at-bat by Gunnar Henderson. He was replaced in the third by rookie Coby Mayo.

Following Baltimore’s 9-0 loss, the team said X-rays were negative.

“Jammed his finger stealing second base,” Mansolino said. “Sprained, strained, something along those lines. Hoping it’s day-to-day right now. Nothing imminent with him. We feel like probably in a few days he’ll be OK, maybe earlier.”

The 26-year-old Westburg missed more than a month with a left hamstring strain before returning on June 10. He is hitting .229 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games this season.

“All I know is that there’s no fracture on the X-ray, so trying to stay optimistic in that sense,” Westburg said.

Westburg was an All-Star last season, when he batted .264 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Greene returning to Reds rotation for playoff push

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Greene returning to Reds rotation for playoff push

Hunter Greene will return to the Cincinnati Reds‘ rotation Wednesday night.

The right-hander will start against visiting Philadelphia after being out since June 4 with a strained right groin. The same injury sidelined Greene for two weeks in May.

Greene is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 11 starts this season. The 26-year-old was selected to the All-Star Game last year for the first time.

In three rehab starts for Triple-A Louisville, Greene allowed 11 runs in 11 innings.

Cincinnati (61-57) entered Sunday 2½ games behind the New York Mets for the third wild-card spot in the National League.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Phillies call up Robertson, 40, for bullpen assist

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Phillies call up Robertson, 40, for bullpen assist

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Philadelphia Phillies recalled 40-year-old reliever David Robertson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, three weeks after he signed a free agent deal with the National League East leaders.

Robertson made six relief appearances with Lehigh Valley and had a 10.13 ERA, though he had four scoreless outings. He struck out six, walked one and allowed 11 hits and six runs in 5⅓ innings.

The Phillies made the move before their series finale at Texas, where Robertson was 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 68 games last season.

Right-hander Alan Rangel was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the 26-man roster.

Over his 16-year major league career, Robertson has a 2.91 ERA in 861 games, all but one of those in relief. This is his third stint with the Phillies, first as a free agent before the 2019 season and then after being acquired in a trade from the Chicago Cubs in 2022. He played nine seasons with the Yankees over two different times in New York, which drafted him in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft.

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Ohtani hits 40-HR mark for 4th time in career

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Ohtani hits 40-HR mark for 4th time in career

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the season Saturday night in the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 9-1 win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ohtani hit a solo shot 417 feet to center off starter Chris Bassitt to give the Dodgers a three-run lead.

“That was one of those swings where he was behind the ball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He stayed into the ground. I know he and the hitting guys have been working on some things mechanically. That was as good of a swing as you’re going to see.”

Ohtani was not made available to the media.

The two-way Japanese star reached 40 homers for the fourth time in his career — and the third straight season — after winning MVP awards in each of the previous three years he did it.

He is the third player with multiple 40-HR seasons in the American League and National League, joining Jim Thome and Mark McGwire.

He did it this time in his 115th game, the fewest needed to reach the mark in a season in Dodgers history.

With 45 regular-season games left, Roberts was asked if he thought Ohtani could reach 55.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Roberts said. “Guys like Shohei always look for something to motivate them. He likes round numbers. I know 50 is on his radar. We’ll see how it goes.”

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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