MLB Player News

Johnston is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

The left-handed-hitting Johnston will sit for the second time in the series, with both of his absences coming against right-handed pitching. Johnston appeared to have settled into a near-everyday role after posting an impressive .954 OPS through his first 11 games of the campaign, but his grip on a regular spot in the lineup may be loosening after 0-for-4 efforts in his last two starts.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Diaz is being treated as "day-to-day" as the Dodgers look to determine why the reliever's velocity has been down to begin the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Over his first six appearances of the season, Diaz is averaging 95.8 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball. While that's a notable decline from the 97.2 mph he averaged during 2025 with the Mets, Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that Diaz's velocity in past years has typically been down in the spring before picking up as the season progresses. Diaz has more or less acknowledged as much, and he hasn't indicated to the Dodgers that he's been pitching through any sort of physical concern. That being said, Roberts told Chen that he plans to "tread lightly" with Diaz's usage in the short term, so the right-hander won't necessarily be called upon for every save situation that arises. Despite the drop in velocity, Diaz was able to convert his first four save chances of the season before getting touched up for three earned runs on four hits and one walk over an inning during his most recent appearance Friday against the Rangers.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Hernandez started the previous six games and continued his hot start to 2026 with three homers and a 1.042 OPS during that span. Alex Call is receiving the start in center field Sunday, batting eighth.

Call will start in left field and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Call will enter the starting nine for just the third time all season, replacing a resting Teoscar Hernandez in the series finale. Though Call has made the most of his limited opportunities by going 4-for-9 with a pair of doubles, three walks, four runs and an RBI so far this season, he's unlikely to see an uptick in playing time so long as all of Hernandez, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker are all available to play the outfield.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

After starting behind the plate in each of the past four games, Smith will get a chance to catch his breath while the Dodgers wrap up their series with Texas. Dalton Rushing will get the nod at catcher and will bat eighth.

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

Matt Shaw will step in at first base in place of Busch, who will hit the bench after 14 consecutive starts to open the season. Though the Cubs often shielded him from left-handed pitching over the previous two seasons, Busch is expected to continue starting against southpaws more often than not in 2026. His move to the bench comes while Busch has been mired in an 0-for-30 slump at the dish that has dropped his season average to .118.

Shaw will start at first base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Though Shaw will be included in the lineup Sunday, his playing time is expected to trend down as he moves into a utility role with Seiya Suzuki back from the injured list. Shaw is slashing .237/.268/.421 with two home runs and a stolen base over 42 plate appearances on the season.

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

Amaya had a brief surge in playing time to begin April, but he appears to have slid back into a part-time role behind Carson Kelly at catcher and Moises Ballesteros at designated hitter. The Cubs will keep Amaya on the bench for the third time in four games.

Bart will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Bart will pick up his third start behind the plate in four games, but he'll likely need to improve his production to firmly overtake Henry Davis as the Bucs' No. 1 catcher. While Davis has disappointed with a .194/.286/.290 slash line over 35 plate appearances, Bart (.368 OPS across 17 plate appearances) hasn't fared any better.

The Cubs selected Barnes' contract from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Barnes inked a minor-league contract with Chicago in January and will get a look in the majors for the first time since 2021. The left-hander takes the roster spot of Hunter Harvey (triceps), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Barnes is likely to serve as a multi-inning relief option out of the bullpen.