MLB Player News

Pages is starting at catcher and batting eighth in Sunday's game versus the Rangers.

Pages had seemed destined for a reserve role once Ivan Herrera returned from the 10-day injured list back on May 9. However, Herrera has been used as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter, while Pages has started at catcher in 14 of 21 contests over that span. Despite the regular playing time, Pages isn't much of a fantasy option even in two-catcher leagues, as most of his value to St. Louis comes from his defense.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said recently that he plans to continue playing Herrera "mostly at the DH," Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Herrera is starting at designated hitter again Sunday versus the Rangers, marking the 17th time in 20 starts since being activated from the 10-day injured list May 9 that he's been at DH. The 25-year-old will be mixed in at catcher 1-to-2 times per week, but the bulk of the starts behind the dish will continue going to Pedro Pages for the time being. Herrera has slowed down at the plate recently, going 4-for-30 across his last nine contests.

The Brewers activated Quintana (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game at Philadelphia.

The veteran left-hander is rejoining Milwaukee's rotation Sunday after missing the past three weeks due to a shoulder impingement. Quintana threw 71 pitches across four innings during his lone rehab outing, so he could face some minor workload limitations in his first start back with the Brewers.

Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning and allowed one hit in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins.

Rodriguez made quick work of the Marlins in the eighth inning, throwing three of his five pitches for strikes and surrendering just a single. The 25-year-old right-hander hasn't been charged with a run since April 29 and leads all Giants pitchers with a 0.70 ERA, to go along with a 0.66 WHIP and 36:3 K:BB across 25.2 innings in 24 appearances.

Lee went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins.

Lee contributed two singles in the pitchers' duel, marking his third multi-hit performance over his last 10 games. During that span, the 26-year-old outfielder has recorded a .282/.364/.308 slash line with two runs scored, two stolen bases, an RBI, a double and a 4:4 BB:K across 44 plate appearances. He has also stolen a base in back-to-back outings. Following a stellar first month-plus of the season, Lee cooled off in May, slashing .231/.270/.343 with 13 RBI, nine runs scored, three home runs, three doubles, two stolen bases and a 9.6 percent strikeout rate across 115 plate appearances.

Rodriguez (shoulder) is likely to return to the rotation this week, Nick Piecoro and Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic report.

The Diamondbacks haven't announced plans for the left-hander, but Rodriguez threw 4.2 innings during a rehab start Friday in the Arizona Complex League. After Ryne Nelson was needed for four relief innings Saturday, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo confirmed the righty would be returned to the bullpen instead of making a scheduled start Tuesday, per Arizona Sports. Rodriguez could be set to return Friday in Cincinnati, as Arizona has already mapped out its pitching plans for a three-game set in Atlanta to begin the week, per Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona.

Atlanta optioned Dodd to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

He will head back to Triple-A to clear room on the 26-man roster for Bryce Elder, who was recalled from Gwinnett in advance of his start Sunday. Dodd has been recalled from Gwinnett on three occasions over the past two weeks but hadn't stuck around long, making two relief appearances and tossing 1.2 scoreless innings between them.

Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in Saturday's 17-7 win over the Phillies.

Ortiz's sixth-inning base hit snapped an 0-for-14 skid at the plate that dated back to Monday. While the 26-year-old has started in each of the last seven games and may not be in imminent danger of losing out on an everyday role in the middle infield, he's nonetheless been a major disappointment for fantasy managers who were expecting him to take a leap forward in his second full season in the big leagues. Ortiz is slashing just .179/.246/.240 on the season, with his .486 OPS placing him last in the majors among all players who have logged at least 150 plate appearances.

Smith started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 11-7 loss to Washington.

Smith plated two runs with a triple as part of Arizona's five-run sixth inning that made a potential blowout somewhat interesting. It was the second straight game with multiple RBI for Smith, who has knocked in five over the last five contests. He has just 16 RBI through 53 games after driving in 36 over 60 games a season ago.

Cameron (knee) went 3-for-6 with a double and two runs in Saturday's 17-7 win over the Phillies.

After suffering a left knee contusion Monday, Cameron didn't start the Brewers' ensuing three games, though he was used off the bench Wednesday. He made enough improvement to enter the lineup in left field Saturday, and he came through with his best effort of the season, with his three hits exceeding his total (two) from his first 21 at-bats with Milwaukee. With Jackson Chourio having shifted over to center field since Garrett Mitchell (oblique) landed on the injured list April 26, the Brewers have given opportunities in left field to Isaac Collins, Jake Bauers and Cameron, but none of the three has been able to take control of the job. After his strong showing Saturday, Cameron might not have to wait long to get his next start, but he'll likely need multiple quality performances at the dish to gain more job security.