MLB Player News

Stephenson isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Stephenson will get a break after going 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts over his last two starts. Jose Trevino will step in to handle catching duties and bat eighth.

Herrera went 4-for-5 with a run scored in Friday's 6-0 win over the Padres.

Herrera logged his third multi-hit effort over seven games in May. He's batting .357 (10-for-28) this month while adding a 3:9 BB:K. For the season, the catcher is hitting .263 with an .837 OPS, four home runs, 10 doubles, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored and one stolen base across 38 contests. Herrera has settled in as the Cardinals' regular No. 2 hitter while splitting time between designated hitter and catcher.

Bailey isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey has been starting to lose playing time recently, as Friday will mark his third missed start in San Francisco's last five games. Jesus Rodriguez will pick up a start behind the plate and bat ninth while Bailey sits.

Murphy isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Murphy will stay put in the dugout to begin Friday's contest after going 1-for-6 with three strikeouts in Atlanta's last series against the Mariners. Drake Baldwin will start behind the plate, and Dominic Smith will work as the designated hitter.

Pages isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against San Diego.

Pages will get a breather after going 0-for-14 with five strikeouts over his last four games. Ivan Herrera will handle catching duties Friday while Nolan Gorman works as the DH, opening up third base for Cesar Prieto.

Ballesteros isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.

Ballesteros will take a day to regroup after going 0-for-11 at the plate across his last four games. Michael Conforto will step in as the Cubs' designated hitter and bat second.

Hicks went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-3 victory against the Orioles on Thursday.

Hicks accounted for the game's first two runs with a first-inning long ball. That was his fifth home run over his past 12 contests, a span in which he's also batting .314 (11-for-35) with 13 RBI. Hicks started at catcher Thursday, but his previous three starts came at either first base or DH. The Marlins seem committed to getting his bat in the lineup on a near-everyday basis given that he's been easily the team's most productive hitter. Hicks is slashing .319/.372/.584 with nine homers, 34 RBI (first in the majors), 20 runs, one stolen base and a 10:12 BB:K through 35 contests.

Bart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Thursday.

Bart produced the final run of the game with a solo blast to left-center field in the sixth inning. That marked his first long ball and first RBI since he went deep against Washington on April 14. Bart has played behind Henry Davis for most of the campaign, but he may be making inroads toward more playing time. Bart has started behind the plate in three of Pittsburgh's past four contests and has gone 3-for-9 over that span.

Ruiz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Twins.

The 27-year-old catcher enjoyed his most productive day at the dish this year, knocking the ball all over the yard. Ruiz recorded a season high in hits, runs and RBI on Thursday en route to totaling a season-most eight bases. Over 70 at-bats, he's still hitting just .214 with two homers, seven doubles, 13 RBI and seven runs scored as Washington's primary backstop.

Fermin isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Fermin will step out of the lineup Thursday to allow Rodolfo Duran to make his MLB debut starting at catcher and batting ninth.