MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Maldonado (COVID-19 injured list) has been cleared to resume individual workouts, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado and the other four Astros placed on the COVID-19 IL on Wednesday all appear to have finished their respective quarantine periods, but Baker didn't specify when any of the players might be ready to rejoin the team. Since Baker previously mentioned that the five players in question are unlikely to be available for the team's ongoing road trip, Maldonado's earliest possible return date would most likely be Thursday, when the Astros host the Angels.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Narvaez looks to be getting a routine maintenance day after he caught in each of the team's last three games. Manny Pina will get a turn behind the dish in Sunday's series finale, forming a battery with Freddy Peralta.

The Giants recalled Tromp from their alternate training site Sunday.

Tromp will give the Giants an extra healthy catcher for Sunday's series finale in Miami while Buster Posey (elbow) is banged up. The Giants continue to list Posey as day-to-day and are seemingly hopeful that he'll avoid a trip to the 10-day injured list, in which case Tromp's stay on the active roster will likely be brief.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Kansas City.

The 26-year-old continues to split time with Alejandro Kirk to open the season, and Kirk will receive the starting nod Sunday. Jansen is 2-for-28 with nine strikeouts through 11 games.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

He'll get a breather for the series finale after making three straight starts behind the plate. Stallings -- who went hitless in 11 at-bats over that span -- will cede catching duties to Michael Perez.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 30-year-old finds himself on the bench for the second straight game as he is 0-for-10 in his past three appearances, leaving Kevin Plawecki to receive another start. Vazquez should return to the lineup for Game 2 later Sunday.

Collins went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Collins showed some promise early in the season, but he's mired in an 0-for-13 hitless streak that has dropped his batting average to .143. The White Sox are pleased with the developments he's made defensively behind the plate, but that could come at the expense of his offense.

Barnhart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over Cleveland.

Barnhart gave Cincinnati an early lead with a 412-foot shot to center field in the second inning. The long ball was his second this season and pushed his RBI total to eight. The career .249 hitter is slashing .387/.424/.710 across 33 plate appearances in 2021. There's ample reason to be skeptical that he can sustain his early season success, but it's not the worst idea to ride his offensive surge for as long as he's swinging a hot stick.

Gomes went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and an additional RBI during Saturday's 6-2 win against Arizona.

The 33-year-old started the scoring with his first homer of the season during the second inning, and he followed up with an RBI single two frames later. Gomes is off to a strong start through six games, going 7-for-19 since returning from the COVID-19 injured list.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Yankees.

The 25-year-old struggled to find his footing in the majors since making his debut with Cleveland in 2017, but he's off to a strong start in 2021. Mejia has a .333/.370/.542 slash line with one home run, two doubles and five RBI through eight games this season.