MLB Player News

Schwarber is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game in Miami.

It's the first time Schwarber has been out of the lineup since he missed two games in late June with lower-back tightness. Bryce Harper will get a day at designated hitter, Alec Bohm will shift to first base and Edmundo Sosa will net a start at third base for the Phillies.

Tena is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Blue Jays.

The left-handed-swinging Tena had drawn five straight starts against righties (with four of them coming from the designated hitter slot), but he'll begin this one on the bench as the Blue Jays send righty Shane Bieber to the hill. James Wood will fill the DH spot Tuesday, and Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews will patrol the outfield.

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

The left-handed-hitting Smith will retreat to the bench while the Mets send a lefty starter (Zac Thornton) to the bump Monday, but Smith will likely be headed for a reduction in playing time against right-handed pitching, too. With Atlanta welcoming Ronald Acuna (hamstring) back from the injured list Monday, Mike Yastrzemski could end up seeing most of his playing time at designated hitter, which would leave Smith as an odd man out of the lineup. Smith has been serviceable against righties with a 103 wRC+ on the season, but he's produced an underwhelming overall batting line of .220/.316/.300 over 18 games in July.

Polanco is not in the Mets' starting lineup against Atlanta on Monday.

Polanco has struggled at the plate in his six games since the All-Star break, going 1-for-21 with eight strikeouts and one RBI in that span. He'll be on the bench for the beginning of Monday's game while Francisco Alvarez serves as the designated hitter and bats fifth.

Del Castillo will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Pirates.

Del Castillo will be included in the lineup for a fourth straight matchup with a right-handed starter or primary pitcher, after going 4-for-11 with a double, a stolen base, three runs and an RBI over his prior three starts. The 26-year-old will need to produce well at the plate in order to continue receiving steady at-bats versus righties, but he'll have a path to playing time while Arizona has three key hitters (Lourdes Gurriel, Jordan Lawlar and Tommy Troy) on the shelf.

Smith went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's extra-innings win over the Orioles.

The veteran slugger gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in the second and fourth innings in an eventual 11-inning victory. It was Smith's first multi-hit performance since June 19, and over 57 plate appearances in July he's managed just a .220/.316/.300 slash line with one homer and nine RBI. Ronald Acuna's return from the IL on Monday will crowd Atlanta's playing time picture even further, and Smith seems likely to lose at-bats against right-handed pitching to Mike Yastrzemski, who is set to get more action at DH rather than in a corner outfield spot.

Herrera went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Reds.

Herrera logged multiple hits for the second game in a row. He also ended a 14-game power drought when he went yard in the third inning off Andrew Abbott. Herrera is batting .244 with a .748 OPS, 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 65 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple and six stolen bases over 104 contests this season. He continues to see steady time between catcher and designated hitter.

Lowe went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Cardinals.

Lowe has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with two home runs and seven RBI over six games since the All-Star break. While he's still in a part-time role, he's heating up with the bat, which could help him carve out more playing time in a battle with Eugenio Suarez and others. He could also benefit from Spencer Steer's wrist injury, which forced his removal from Sunday's contest. Ultimately, Lowe is expected to be moved by the trade deadline next week. Overall, Lowe is batting .256 with an .808 OPS, 12 home runs, 33 RBI, 23 runs scored, 13 doubles and no stolen bases over 249 plate appearances, mainly as a strong-side platoon option.

Yelich is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

The left-handed hitter will receive a breather in the day game with southpaw Kyle Freeland on the bump for Colorado. William Contreras will get a break from catching but will stick in the lineup by occupying Yelich's usual spot at designated hitter.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani (knee) "kicked the can" on his scheduled bullpen session Saturday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With Ohtani's knee still not feeling 100 percent after first throwing out of the bullpen Wednesday, the 31-year-old decided to cancel his slated bullpen session Saturday. Manager Dave Roberts is still confident that Ohtani will pitch again this season. Despite his knee problems, Ohtani will continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter.