MLB Player News

Walker will work in bulk relief behind an opener during his next turn through the rotation Wednesday against the Cubs, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The veteran right-hander has surrendered 19 earned runs across 18.1 frames in his first four starts of the season, so the Phillies will attempt to limit his exposure to the top of Chicago's lineup Wednesday. Regardless of his role, Walker will have minimal streaming appeal while going up against a Cubs offense that is averaging more than eight runs scored over the past six games. The Phillies are expected to get Zack Wheeler (shoulder) back from the injured list later next week, so Walker may not be in line for any starts or planned bulk-relief appearances for a while after Wednesday's outing.

Murphy (hip) is slated to move his rehab assignment from High-A Rome to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Murphy went 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts during his time at Rome, but more important than his results at the plate was the fact that his surgically repaired right hip held up fine while he made three starts at catcher and one at designated hitter. The veteran backstop could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list when Atlanta kicks off a homestand Friday, but the club may want to give Murphy some more time in minors to knock off rust and catch full games on back-to-back days before activating him.

Fuentes had his start with Triple-A Gwinnett skipped Sunday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Atlanta is currently in the midst of a stretch of 10 games in 10 days, so holding Fuentes back gives the team the option to call him up either for a spot start to buy the rest of the rotation some rest, or to work in long relief. Even if Fuentes doesn't get promoted, having a start skipped allows Atlanta to keep the 20-year-old right-hander's workload in check, as he has yet to throw more than 75.2 innings in a season. Fuentes has had an outstanding start to the campaign, posting a combined 24:7 K:BB over 20.2 innings between Triple-A and the majors with a 2.18 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. With Spencer Strider (oblique) closing in on his 2026 debut, however, Atlanta doesn't have a permanent spot available in the rotation for Fuentes just yet.

Strider (oblique) is scheduled to make the second start of his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Gwinnett, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He'll be making the jump to Gwinnett from High-A Rome along with rehabbing catcher Sean Murphy (hip), who was behind the plate last Thursday in Strider's first minor-league outing. Strider spotted 27 of his 50 pitches for strikes in his start with Rome, recording three punchouts while yielding one hit and two walks over 3.1 scoreless frames. The right-hander will get further stretched out further Tuesday in what's expected to be the second of three total starts in the minors before he returns from the 15-day injured list and slots back into the Atlanta rotation.

Barrosa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

After slashing .214/.267/.381 with six extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple), five runs and four RBI over a stretch of 12 consecutive starts, Barrosa will remain on the bench for the second day in a row. The switch-hitting Barrosa could still see regular starts against left-handed pitching, but his chances of playing on an everyday basis versus right-handers may have come to an end with Lourdes Gurriel making his return from the injured list.

Heineman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After a recent bout with back spasms, Heineman returned to the lineup Thursday and started three straight games, going 1-for-9 with an RBI and a run scored. Though Brandon Valenzuela will get the nod behind the plate Sunday, Heineman could be the Blue Jays' preferred option at catcher until Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is ready to return from the injured list.

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

Peraza went 7-for-18 (.389 average) with two home runs, one double, three walks, two stolen bases, four RBI and four runs while starting in each of the last five games at either second base or third base, but the Angels won't have room for him in the lineup Sunday while the team welcomes Jorge Soler (suspension) back from a four-game absence. Though he looks set to move back into more of a part-time role with the Angels back to full strength, Peraza has multiple paths to playing time.

Soler will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in Sunday's game against the Padres.

After completing his four-game suspension Saturday, Soler will slot back into his typical spot in the heart of the Angels lineup for the series finale. Jo Adell will move down to the No. 6 spot in the order after occupying the cleanup spot during three of the four games that Soler was out.

France is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

France will head to the bench after he went 6-for-16 with a solo home run, a double and three additional runs while starting at first base in five of the Padres' previous six games. The Padres have an opening in their everyday lineup for one of France, Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos, and manager Craig Stammen looks like he could ride the hottest bat of the trio in the short term until one player clearly separates himself from the others.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

After taking a foul tip off his catcher's mask and being forced out of Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Mariners, Fermin didn't appear in the Padres' subsequent two games. He returned to the lineup Saturday and caught all nine innings of the Padres' 4-1 win, going 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs. Fermin didn't experience any reported setbacks coming out of that contest, so he's presumably just getting some rest for a day game after a night game.