MLB Player News

Rivas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have brought left-handed pitchers to the hill for each of the final three games of the series, with the lefty-hitting Rivas having now taken a seat on each occasion. David Bote will fill in at first base Sunday in place of Rivas, who should be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles. Baltimore is expected to bring right-hander Jordan Lyles to the hill for that contest.

Higgins will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

After manning first base in both of the Cubs' last two games, Higgins will get a turn behind the plate while Yan Gomes rests for the series finale. Gomes and Willson Contreras are likely to occupy either the designated-hitter or catcher spot in most games moving forward, but Higgins could end up encroaching on Alfonso Rivas' role as the Cubs' top first baseman while Frank Schwindel (back) is stuck on the injured list.

Naylor (back) was scratched from the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

Naylor was held out of the lineup for four straight games with back spasms before rejoining the lineup Saturday, and he'll be absent again Sunday after initially being penciled in at first base. It's unclear how the injury will affect his availability for the upcoming four-game series against the White Sox, which begins Monday.

Hiura will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hiura's playing time is on the upswing; he'll make his fourth consecutive start after going 5-for-11 with a home run and a walk in the past three contests. Though he should be a fixture in the lineup against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future, Hiura looks like he could see an uptick in opportunities against right-handed pitching in the short term with Andrew McCutchen picking up more time in the outfield of late with Tyrone Taylor (concussion) and Hunter Renfroe (calf) on the injured list.

Abreu went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's 8-0 win over the Tigers.

Abreu has turned in back-to-back two-hit games and has now built a 14-game hitting streak, with the veteran first baseman slashing .439/.467/.632 with a home run, eight doubles, 10 runs and eight RBI over that stretch. He'll get a day out of the field in Sunday's series finale and serve as the White Sox's designated hitter and cleanup batter.

The Rays recalled Raley from Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Raley was summoned from Triple-A after fellow outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. Josh Lowe and Brett Phillips are likely to serve as the primary replacements in center field for Kiermaier, so Raley will presumably be limited to a depth role while he's up with the big club for the second time this season.

Aranda was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 24-year-old was added to the major-league roster Sunday with Wander Franco (wrist) heading to the 10-day injured list. Aranda will provide infield depth for Tampa Bay and could split playing time at second base with Yu Chang while Taylor Walls fills in at shortstop for Franco.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The National League MVP candidate looks to be getting some routine maintenance after he started in each of the Cardinals' last 17 games while contributing a 1.035 OPS, two stolen bases, 13 runs and seven RBI over that stretch. Albert Pujols will draw a rare start at first base in place of Goldschmidt.

Rizzo went 2-for-5 with two doubles, a run, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

Rizzo missed four games due to lower-back stiffness, but he was productive in his return to action Saturday. The veteran knocked in a run with a double in each of the sixth and 10th innings, and he felt spry enough to try to steal third after the latter two-bagger (though he was thrown out). Rizzo had gone just 4-for-34 at the plate over his previous 11 games prior to the injury absence, but he had homered three times in his past four contests.

Votto (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Mike Moustakas will once again fill in at first base for Votto, who is on the bench for the seventh consecutive game on account of back tightness. Votto hasn't made any pinch-hitting appearances over the past five contests, suggesting a stint on the 10-day injured list could still be on the table for the 38-year-old. For now, he can be viewed as day-to-day in advance of the Reds' three-game series with the Yankees, which begins Tuesday.