MLB Player News

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against San Diego.

Stephenson started the previous nine games but will hit the bench Sunday while in the midst of an 0-for-12 slump. Jose Trevino will work behind the plate and bat seventh in the series finale versus the Padres.

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

Though he's the best defensive center fielder on the Mets' roster, Taylor has faded into a part-time role due to his weak bat, as he's slashing .167/.219/.258 in June. He'll hit the bench for the fourth time in six games while Jeff McNeil gets the nod in center field.

Baldwin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The left-handed-hitting Baldwin has a .973 OPS with two home runs and an 8:4 BB:K across his past eight contests, but he finds himself on the bench Sunday for Atlanta's second consecutive game while the Phillies send another lefty (Ranger Suarez) to the hill. Sean Murphy will start behind the plate and bat sixth in the series finale versus Philadelphia.

Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

With Atlanta facing lefty Ranger Suarez, Verdugo will retreat to the bench for a second straight game. Stuart Fairchild will get the nod in left field.

Harper (wrist) traveled with the Phillies to Atlanta this weekend and took swings in live batting practice Saturday, Bill Trocchi of the Associated Press reports. "He was great," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. "Looked like he got his bat speed and his timing looked fine."

Harper isn't scheduled to do any on-field work Sunday, but if his wrist checks out OK after Saturday's BP session, the two-time NL MVP could bypass a rehab assignment and return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game against the Padres. While Harper has been on the shelf, rookie Otto Kemp has stepped in as the Phillies' primary first baseman.

Harris is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Harris will hit the bench for a second straight day after a run of 75 straight starts. The consecutive days off have both come against left-handed pitching, suggesting that Atlanta may at least temporarily be viewing Harris as a strong-side platoon player while he's struggled mightily at the plate in June with a .148/.165/.261 slash line and 27.2 percent strikeout rate in 92 plate appearances. Eli White will receive another look in center field in Sunday's series finale.

Ohtani allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out one batter over two scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Royals on Saturday. He also went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as a batter.

While Ohtani didn't have his highest pitch count of the campaign -- his 27 pitches Saturday were one fewer than he accumulated during his season debut on the mound June 16 -- he took another step forward by tossing more than one inning for the first time as a Dodger. The two-way star also made a strong statement about how far he's come in his recovery from Tommy John surgery by pumping in a 101.7 mph fastball -- the fastest of his career. Ohtani now was three starts under his belt as a pitcher this season, allowing one run on three hits with a 3:1 K:BB over four innings. He'll likely continue to build up gradually, so fantasy managers should still view him as an opener during his turns in the rotation until he gets a longer leash to pitch deeper into games.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that he had no medical update available on Nootbaar, who is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians after he appeared to tweak his rib on a check swing in Saturday's 9-6 win, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Nootbaar's absence from the lineup Sunday could have more to do with the fact that the Guardians are starting a lefty (Logan Allen) rather than an injury, but the outfielder's fantasy managers will nonetheless want to keep an eye on his status heading into the Cardinals' three-game series in Pittsburgh that begins Monday. Nootbaar, who had been nursing rib pain coming into Saturday, was able to finish out that contest.

Cronenworth went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 6-4 victory versus the Reds.

Cronenworth helped spur a Padres comeback with a two-run blast in the sixth frame. It was his second long ball in his past four contests following a 26-game stretch during which he went deep just once. Cronenworth has been pretty quiet with seven home runs, 24 RBI and two thefts through 57 contests, though he's posting a career-best 14.6 percent walk rate.

Arraez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Saturday in a 6-4 win against Cincinnati.

Arraez put the Padres on the board in the fifth inning with a solo shot to right field. The long ball was his first since April 18 and just his fourth overall this season. Of course, fantasy managers who roster Arraez don't expect much power from him, as he's never hit more than 10 home runs in a single MLB campaign. The three-time batting champion has been somewhat disappointing in other areas this season, though, as he's batting a mortal .283 -- well below his career average.