MLB Player News

The Padres optioned Marinaccio to Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

Marinaccio's latest stint in the big leagues lasted less than a week, as he had been called up from El Paso on Saturday. He made a two-inning relief appearance later that day against the Dodgers but had gone unused out of the bullpen in the Padres' last three games. Marinaccio will give up his spot on the active roster to lefty JP Sears, who was recalled ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Giants.

The Padres recalled Sears from Triple-A El Paso ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Giants at Petco Park.

Sears was optioned to El Paso after getting tagged for five earned runs in five innings during his team debut Aug. 4 in Arizona following his acquisition at the trade deadline, but he'll get another look as the Padres' No. 5 starter. After Randy Vasquez struggled during a bulk-relief appearance last Friday versus the Dodgers before being sent back to El Paso, Sears will get the next chance to fill the vacancy in the rotation that was created earlier this month when Michael King (knee) landed on the injured list. King is hopeful for a minimum-length stay on the shelf, so Sears may not be guaranteed any starts beyond Wednesday.

Torrens will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Torrens will stay in the lineup for a second straight game and is poised to serve as the Mets' primary backstop after Francisco Alvarez was diagnosed earlier this week with a UCL sprain in his right thumb, which could threaten his availability for the rest of the season. Though Torrens should provide an upgrade defensively behind the plate, he'll likely struggle to match the production Alvarez provided as a hitter. Over 229 plate appearances on the season, Torrens has contributed a .214/.279/.305 slash line with two home runs, 16 RBI and 10 runs across 77 games.

Pages is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Miami.

Pages started at catcher in both of the first two games of the series but will get a breather for Wednesday's finale. Yohel Pozo will fill behind the dish and bat seventh as the Cardinals go for the series sweep.

Church is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Miami.

Church started three straight games in center field following his first big-league promotion Sunday, but he'll begin Wednesday's contest on the bench. Lars Nootbaar will slide over to center field while Jordan Walker covers right field for the Cardinals in the series finale.

Mauricio is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Washington.

On the bench for a third straight contest, Mauricio looks to have faded into more of a part-time role after he had been serving as a near-everyday player coming out of the All-Star break. The downturn in playing time comes while Mauricio has mustered a weak .154/.214/.154 slash line since the beginning of August. The Mets appear to be prioritizing Brett Baty and Mark Vientos ahead of Mauricio while the former two players have been more productive at the plate so far this month.

Winn is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Miami.

Winn will get his first day off of August while he's in the midst of a 1-for-14 slump at the plate. Thomas Saggese will receive a start at shortstop as the Cardinals go for the series sweep.

Ohtani will start as a pitcher and designated hitter in Wednesday's game against the Rockies but is expected to be out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale at Coors Field, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani hasn't been given a rest day so far this season, though he did miss two contests in April while on the paternity list. The decision doesn't seem to have anything to do with the All-Star's performance at the plate -- he's reached base safely in 17 straight contests and has slashed .381/.506/.746 with six home runs, 10 RBI, 20 runs, four stolen bases and a 16:21 BB:K during that span. Rather, manager Dave Roberts may just want to make sure Ohtani doesn't wear down in the dog days of the summer, especially as the two-way star continues to pitch deeper into games when he takes the mound. Per Ardaya, the plan is for Ohtani to go five frames in his start Wednesday in Colorado. That evening game is followed by a day game Thursday, which also likely played into the decision to give Ohtani a breather. Will Smith is expected to get a day off his feet behind the plate and serve as the team's DH on Thursday.

Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Though his absence from the lineup against a left-handed starter (Parker Messick) doesn't come as a surprise, the left-handed-hitting Del Castillo was on the bench for two matchups against right-handed starters over the Diamondbacks' previous three contests. Del Castillo has slashed an underwhelming .232/.270/.391 with a 32.4 percent strikeout rate over 74 plate appearances since being called up from Triple-A Reno coming out of the All-Star break, and until he picks up the pace at the dish, he might have to settle for more of a part-time role.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

After returning from the injured list Monday, the left-handed-hitting Smith was included in the lineup for the first two games of the series while the Guardians sent right-handed starters to the hill. With southpaw Parker Messick toeing the rubber for Cleveland in the finale, Smith will give way to the right-handed-hitting Tyler Locklear at first base. The two players could end up forming a loose platoon at the position over the final few weeks of the season.