MLB Player News

Sheets is out of the lineup for Sunday's matchup against Kansas City.

With southpaw Noah Cameron on the mound for the Royals, Sheets will ride the pine Sunday. Jase Bowen will take over in left field and bat eighth for San Diego.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Phillies.

Alvarez will get a breather for the series finale against Philadelphia after going 0-for-3 with a walk, a strikeout and an error in Saturday's game. Luis Torrens will be behind the plate and bat ninth for the Mets.

The Cardinals do not expect Romero (appendicitis) to be ready for activation from the 15-day injured list when first eligible, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Romero is doing well after being treated for appendicitis last week, but a return before the end of July appears unlikely. The injury complicates Romero's appeal to contenders ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, though injured players can be dealt. Romero holds a 3.35 ERA and 43:16 K:BB over 43 innings this season and is slated to reach free agency this winter.

Sheehan will not start the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader against the Yankees and will instead start Monday's series opener against Philadelphia, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Sheehan, who was originally slated to pitch against the Yankees on Saturday before the game was postponed, will open the series against the Phillies for the Dodgers on Monday. The Dodgers opted to go with a bullpen game for the second half of Sunday's doubleheader over the 26-year-old. On the season, the right-hander has posted a 4.81 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 93:26 K:BB in 82.1 innings.

Ohtani (knee) will not start this upcoming Wednesday against Philadelphia, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Ohtani's second-half pitching debut will have to wait a little longer, as the Dodgers want to be cautious and give his knee some more time to heal. Manager Dave Roberts expects Ohtani to return to the mound at some point this season but admitted Sunday that it is "going to be some time" before the two-way star is pitching again, per Harris. Despite his knee problems, the 31-year-old will continue to handle designated hitter duties, and he will make his ninth consecutive start Sunday against the Yankees.

Clarke (arm) averaged 101.2 mph and topped out at 103.1 mph with his sinker in a rehab start with Single-A Palm Beach on Saturday.

The box score results weren't favorable, as Clarke was charged with two runs on one hit and two walks over 1.1 innings. The stuff was electric, however, with the southpaw showcasing a devastating sweeper in addition to premium velocity. Clarke got a late start to the season following surgery in January to address an aneurysm in his left arm and is expected to eventually be assigned to Double-A Springfield. Durability and control have been issues for the 23-year-old, but he could skyrocket up prospect rankings if he's able to stay healthy and throw enough strikes.

Tatis went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to Kansas City.

Not much went right for San Diego in the defeat, but Tatis at least prevented the team from being shut out with his third-inning solo homer. The speedy slugger added a theft of second base to round out a productive line. Tatis is up to 24 stolen bases on the campaign -- tied for fifth-most in the majors -- but Saturday's long ball was just his sixth this season. The lack of power has led to a .732 OPS, which is on pace to be the lowest mark of Tatis' career.

Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Perez (forearm) is likely to return from the 15-day injured list during Atlanta's four-game home series with San Diego that begins Monday, MLB.com reports.

The lefty appears most likely to slot back into the rotation Wednesday, which would afford ace Chris Sale an extra day of rest. Perez has been on the shelf since July 6 due to a left forearm contusion, but he's made good progress in his recovery and doesn't look like he'll require a rehab assignment. The 35-year-old doesn't miss many bats (18.6 K%, 22 percent whiff rate), but he's been able to maintain a 3.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 81.1 innings by generating groundballs at a healthy 47.7 percent clip.

The Pirates optioned Curtis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The right-hander received his first promotion to the big leagues Saturday and made his MLB debut in the second game of a doubleheader in Cleveland with five scoreless innings of bulk relief. Curtis should have a better chance of returning to the majors later this summer now that he's on the 40-man roster, though his 4.96 ERA in 18 appearances between the Double-A and Triple-A levels could be a limiting factor, even after his strong performance Saturday.

Ritchie was credited with his second hold of the season in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rangers after striking out a batter and allowing one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning of relief.

Ritchie helped cover for the demoted Hurston Waldrep last Sunday, with Atlanta deploying him for 4.1 innings of bulk relief in a 4-3 win over St. Louis. Rather than opening the second half with Ritchie as the fifth starter, Atlanta instead handed Owen Murphy his first MLB start Saturday before Atlanta manager Walt Weiss leaned on Ritchie and six other relievers to finish out the contest. Atlanta optioned Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, but Ritchie appears likely to stick in the bullpen for the time being with Martin Perez (forearm) expected to return from the injured list during the upcoming week.