The Buzz — Wednesday, September 23

Shohei Ohtani

The take expected back in Dodgers lineup off IL today

The Dodgers placed him on the 15-day injured list September 11 with right biceps inflammation — the two-way designation costing him the longer stint — and Dave Roberts confirmed he will be in the lineup today, first day eligible. Roberts rated him an eight or a nine versus a five when he went on the shelf, and said he looked considerably healthier. The biceps and the knee have quieted enough to hit.

They have not quieted the pitching arm. He last pitched July 3 and will not pitch again in 2026 — a designated hitter for whatever October holds. But the bat coming back is the one that was coming undone: over his final 54 at-bats before the IL, seven hits and 22 strikeouts. The .277 average, 30 home runs, and .902 OPS are still the season, and the 1.79 ERA over 85.2 innings in 14 starts says the pitching was elite before it stopped. Nobody is erasing that.

What is left of the regular season is the runway. He needs live at-bats to find a timing that disappeared, and the only way to get them is in the lineup. A hitter at eight or nine out of ten is a better bet than the alternative. It is just not the same bet it was in July.

Shohei Ohtani cards on eBay →(paid link)

Yordan Alvarez

The take Triple Crown buzz after multi-RBI homer lifts Astros

.314 with 41 home runs and 102 RBIs. He leads the American League in average, shares the lead in home runs, and sits second in RBIs — standing on two of the three Triple Crown bases with a clear line to the third. The last player to hold all three at once was Miguel Cabrera in 2012.

Last night's 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the 7-0 win over the Mariners did more than feed the stat line. It moved the Astros into a first-place tie with the Rangers at 78-79, and Houston owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with five games remaining. A shared record crowns Houston. The Triple Crown and the division title are running on the same track, and Alvarez is pulling both.

Yordan Alvarez cards on eBay →(paid link)

Elly De La Cruz

The take latest HR and steal near first 30-30

One home run and one stolen base from 30-30, and the only Reds to ever get there are Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, and Brandon Phillips — three names with plaques or on track for one. He has 29 of each after last night's solo shot and stolen base in the 4-0 win over the Braves. The buzz is not ahead of the math. The math is right there.

Elly De La Cruz cards on eBay →(paid link)

Zack Wheeler

The take dominant start hits 2000 Ks, franchise records

He struck out the side in the first, and the last of them — Brice Turang, swinging — was the 2,000th strikeout of his career. Wheeler is the 96th pitcher to reach it; teammate Aaron Nola got there earlier this season, the second pair of teammates to do so in the same year. The franchise record was the story of the night: seven straight strikeouts to open the game, a Phillies mark since 1900 per Elias, breaking Brandon Duckworth's six from August 5, 2002.

Eleven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, three earned runs on 101 pitches, a no-decision in a 6-4 win. The ERA ticked from 2.99 to 3.06 in 27 starts. That is a Cy Young-caliber campaign — and the Phillies can clinch as early as today. If they do, Wheeler gets Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series instead of Sunday against the Rays.

Zack Wheeler cards on eBay →(paid link)

Cal Raleigh

The take power hitter showing on daily HR props

The .181 average is the season, and it is ugly. But over his last 30 games, Raleigh is hitting .257 with a .610 slugging percentage and 10 home runs, and the projection boards keep listing him on the daily over-0.5 HR because of nights like September 19 — a 459-foot home run at 111.7 mph off the bat. The oblique strain that cost him May and June explains the full-year line. The last month says the bat is awake, and the exit velocity says it is not a fluke.

Cal Raleigh cards on eBay →(paid link)