MLB Player News

Myers is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Twins.

Myers started each of the first two games of the series, but he'll grab a seat for the finale. Derek Hill will play center field and bat ninth in his first start since coming back from the injured list earlier this week.

The Reds announced Wednesday that X-rays on Steer's right hand returned negative, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Steer suffered a right hand contusion when he was hit by a Brayan Bello pitch in the seventh inning Wednesday in the Reds' 5-3 loss to the Red Sox. That game was the continuation of a suspended contest from Tuesday, and the hand injury prompted the Reds to scratch Steer from the lineup ahead of their 8-4 win over Boston in the second game of the day. While manager Terry Francona noted that Steer campaigned to play in the second game, the 27-year-old was dealing with enough swelling in his hand for the Reds to err on the side of caution and hold him out. Steer will benefit from a team off day Thursday before potentially making his return to the lineup Friday in Philadelphia.

Stowers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Twins.

The outfielder chopped a Simeon Woods Richardson slider down the right-field line in the second inning to get the Marlins on the board, but their offense went cold the rest of the way. Stowers is up to 15 homers on the season in a breakout campaign, and five of them have come over the course of a nine-game hitting streak in which he's batting .406 (13-for-32) with four doubles, eight runs and 11 RBI.

Junk (2-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Marlins were downed 2-1 by the Twins, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The 29-year-old righty set a new season high in strikeouts en route to his first career quality start, but a Kyle Stowers solo shot in the second inning was all the offense Miami could muster for him. Junk has had a couple stumbles since joining the Marlins' staff in late May, but he's made a good case to stick in the rotation as either a traditional starter or bulk reliever, posting a 3.62 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and eye-popping 33:2 K:BB over 37.1 innings in eight appearances (three starts). He's scheduled to make his next trip to the mound on the road early next week in Cincinnati.

Kepler went 3-for-8 with a two-run home run across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Padres.

After a 1-for-4 showing in the matinee, Kepler took Dylan Cease deep in the fourth inning of the nightcap to get the Phillies on the board in an eventual 5-1 win. It was Kepler's 10th long ball of the season, but he's struggled to put together a prolonged hot streak -- since the beginning of June, the 32-year-old outfielder is slashing just .183/.287/.354 with four homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs in 26 contests.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Padres.

The veteran catcher was rested for the nightcap. Realmuto has been racking up hits over the last month, batting .333 (23-for-69) since June 9, but his last home run came back on May 21 -- and that was at Coors Field. On the season, he's slashing .252/.316/.365 with five homers, five steals, 28 RBI and 32 runs in 71 contests.

Rojas went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Padres.

The 24-year-old swiped a bag in each end of the twin bill, getting the start in center field in the matinee before coming on as a pinch runner in the nightcap. Rojas hasn't been caught stealing since May 25 and has gone 11-for-13 on stolen base attempts this season, but that remains his only reliable fantasy skill -- he's slashing .227/.278/.303 through 148 plate appearances with one homer, 15 RBI and 19 runs.

Sanchez (7-2) picked up the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Padres, allowing one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The southpaw continued to dazzle, as he delivered his sixth straight quality start on 85 pitches (60 strikes). Sanchez has gotten sharper over the course of the streak, not allowing a walk or a homer in any of his last four outings, and since the beginning of May he's posted a 2.34 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 69:17 K:BB through 69.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.

Cease (3-8) took the loss in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Phillies, giving up four runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out four without walking a batter.

Homers by Max Kepler in the fourth inning and Brandon Marsh in the fifth accounted for most of the damage off Cease. It was the first time this season the right-hander didn't issue any free passes, but the third time he served up multiple long balls, including each of his last two starts. Cease will take a 4.62 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 121:36 K:BB through 97.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come early next week against the Diamondbacks.

Yelich went 1-for-7 with a solo home run and a pair of walks in Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Mets.

Yelich got the Brewers on the board in the nightcap with an opposite-field homer off Blade Tidwell, his 17th this season. The 33-year-old Yelich has been on a tear of late, going 22-for-58 (.379) with four homers and 19 RBI in his last 14 contests. Overall, he's slashing .259/.337/.460 with a team-high 61 RBI, 43 runs scored and 12 stolen bases through 347 plate appearances this year.