MLB Player News

Vientos is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Though Vientos had seemed to overtake Brett Baty as the Mets' preferred third baseman earlier in the week, he now finds himself on the bench for the second straight day versus a right-handed starting pitcher (Logan Webb). Since getting a call-up from Triple-A Syracuse on May 15, Vientos has posted a 1.134 OPS in seven games, but he still looks like he'll be part of a timeshare at the hot corner with Baty.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Angels.

Ramirez is 12-for-33 (.364) with six homers and 14 RBI over his last eight games. He's also leading the majors with 51 RBI thanks to his recent surge. The third baseman hasn't reached the 30-homer mark in either of the last two seasons, but he's halfway there now with 15 through 51 contests, to go with a hearty .267/.314/.539 slash line, 35 runs scored, seven stolen bases, nine doubles and a triple.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

The Mariners will go with a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter Nationals southpaw Patrick Corbin, with Rojas hitting the bench for Seattle along with fellow left-handed hitters Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. Dylan Moore will spell Rojas at third base.

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's matchup against Boston.

Ortiz will get a breather after starting the last eight games at third base, going 9-for-29 with six RBI and one home run in that stretch. Fresh off getting called up from Triple-A Nashville, Oliver Dunn will get the start at third base and bat eighth in place of Ortiz.

Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Riley likely won't return to action until Monday versus Washington, so it's no surprise the third baseman will sit for the 13th straight game due to an intercostal strain. Zack Short will receive another start at the hot corner in the series finale at Pittsburgh.

Milwaukee recalled Dunn from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday. He'll start at third base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

After being optioned to Nashville earlier in May, the 26-year-old infielder earned his way back to the majors after slashing .310/.394/.517 across eight games at Triple-A. Though he'll get the starting nod Sunday in his return to the big club, Dunn is still expected to play second fiddle to Joey Ortiz at third base and will likely function as more of a utility man.

Candelario (neck) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Candelario will miss out on a second straight start due to neck stiffness, but he said he'll be available off the bench for the series finale, per Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Santiago Espinal will fill in at third base for Candelario.

Kreidler (finger) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Wednesday and has gone 0-for-6 with one walk and four strikeouts through his first two games.

Kreidler has been on Triple-A Toledo's 7-day injured list since early April while recovering from surgery to repair a fractured right index finger. Once he regains his timing at the plate during the rehab assignment, Kreidler should settle back into an everyday role in the Toledo infield.

Hayes (back) has been hitting on the field and will run the bases Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Assuming he feels well after Sunday's activity, Hayes will meet with manager Derek Shelton to determine his next steps. That would presumably either be activation from the injured list or a rebab assignment.

Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

Espinal was a late addition to the lineup after Jeimer Candelario (neck) was scratched. The utility infielder is getting a relevant amount of plate appearances due to injuries and a player suspension. While his .195 average isn't attractive, Espinal has hit with regularity of late, going 9-for-33 (.273) with a double, a home run, three RBI, four walks, two steals and four runs scored over the last 11 games.