MLB Player News

Pederson (groin) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Nationals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's the third straight game on the bench for Pederson, who was diagnosed with a Grade 1 adductor strain after leaving Wednesday's game versus the A's. Pederson will now have Monday's scheduled off day to aid in his recovery before potentially missing additional time. He'll also be available off the bench Sunday, per Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News. Jason Krizan, Luis Gonzalez and Darin Ruf will start from left to right in the outfield.

Miller is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

With Atlanta bringing southpaw Kyle Muller to the hill for the series finale, Miller will take a seat for the second day in a row. Nick Solak will fill in for Miller in left field.

Torrens is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Torrens will head to the bench after drawing three consecutive starts, two of which came behind the plate. He went 2-for-10 with a double and four RBI over that stretch and may have the early edge on the No. 1 catcher's job over Tom Murphy, who will be behind the plate for the series finale in Miami.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon started the last eight games and will receive a day off after posting a .980 OPS during that stretch. Randal Grichuk will shift to right field while Yonathan Daza starts in center.

Ruf went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Saturdays' 9-3 win over the Nationals.

The veteran slugger has had a rough start to the season, but he's beginning to show some signs of life at the plate. Both of Ruf's multi-hit performances on the year have come in the last eight games, although he's gone a combined 2-for-23 in the other six contests. Until he starts supplying some power, however -- he has zero homers and only two doubles among his 14 total knocks -- Ruf will be tough to roster even as a DFS dart throw.

The Rays placed Choi on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to loose bodies in his right elbow.

Injuries of these kind can often require an arthroscopic procedure, but the Rays have yet to decide if Choi will need any sort of procedure to address the elbow issue. Regardless, his placement on the IL means he won't be eligible for reinstatement until May 8, which likely leaves Yandy Diaz and Harold Ramirez in line to serve as the Rays' primary first basemen for at least the next week.

Brantley (illness) will serve as Houston's designated hitter and No. 2 batter in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Brantley will make his way back to the starting nine after a two-game absence while he dealt with a non-COVID-19-related illness. With the veteran having since cleared all protocols related to the virus, he'll be eased back into the lineup in a non-defensive role. With two home runs, eight runs, seven RBI and no stolen bases through 17 games this season, Brantley has been a modest producer in the counting categories, but his .290 average has been a boon for fantasy managers in a year where batting averages have cratered league-wide.

Martinez (groin) will serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter and cleanup batter in Sunday's game against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Adductor discomfort has relegated Martinez to the bench for each of Boston's last three games, but he'll make his way back into the starting nine for the series finale in Baltimore after showing improvement while he was idle. Christian Arroyo -- who had served as Boston's DH for both of the previous two contests -- will head back to the bench to make room in the lineup for Martinez.

Buxton (hand) will start in center field and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Rays.

A late scratch ahead of Saturday's 9-1 win with a right hand contusion, Buxton was able to make an appearance off the bench in the game. After being checked out early Sunday, he'll make his way back into the lineup. He'll be looking to break an 0-for-11 rut at the dish over his last three starts, but even with the minor slump, Buxton is still holding down a magnificent 1.069 OPS for the campaign.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Saturday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Alvarez owned a .698 OPS at the end of play April 23, but with him going 11-for-25 (.440) with three homers, a double and five walks in the seven games he has appeared in since, his OPS now sits at a robust .994.