MLB Player News

Hill (back) will start in center field and bat eighth in Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Hill had been held out of the lineup for three straight games due to back tightness, but he reprised his usual role as the starting center fielder in Saturday's 4-0 win while going 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. The 29-year-old apparently checked out fine coming out of that game, so he'll be in the lineup once again as Miami wraps up its series with Atlanta.

Torrens (forearm) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Torrens was scratched from the lineup Saturday due to a forearm contusion and will sit for a second straight game Sunday. Hayden Senger will receive another start behind the plate for the Mets.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

With Sunday's contest beginning at 1:35 p.m. ET, Moreno will get a breather after he caught all eight innings of Saturday's 4-3 loss. Jose Herrera will get the nod behind the dish in the series finale in Washington.

Thomas will start in center field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

At least for the time being, Thomas seems to have emerged as manager Torey Lovullo's preferred option in center field. Jake McCarthy has yet to record a hit through 18 at-bats on the season and is beginning to lose playing time as a result, as he'll hit the bench Sunday for the third time in four games. Thomas -- who owns a .950 OPS through five contests on the season -- has started in all three of those contests in McCarthy's stead.

McCarthy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

McCarthy has yet to record a hit in 18 at-bats on the season, and a Statcast-measured .124 xBA suggests he's not merely a victim of some bad luck on balls in play. The 27-year-old's struggles have begun to cost him playing time, as he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in four games. Alek Thomas has a .950 OPS through five games and may have at least temporarily overtaken McCarthy as the Diamondbacks' preferred option in center field.

Casparius notched a hold against the Phillies on Saturday, striking out one batter in two perfect innings.

Casparius entered the game in the sixth frame and breezed through two perfect innings on 23 pitches (15 strikes). The 26-year-old has taken up a prominent place in the Dodgers' bullpen early in the season -- he leads the team's relievers with seven innings of work and is tied for the club lead with three holds. Casparius has excelled in his role thus far, as he has yet to allow an earned run and has a 7:2 K:BB while surrendering just three hits.

Mervis went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 4-0 win over Atlanta.

Mervis got the scoring started with a two-run shot off AJ Smith-Shawver in the first inning, his first homer of the season, before launching a 421-foot blast off lefty Jose Suarez in the seventh. It was quite a performance from the 26-year-old Mervis, who had gone just 2-for-15 (.133) in five games prior to Saturday. Mervis should continue to see regular playing time in the middle of Miami's order.

Patrick is slated to start Sunday's game against the Reds in Milwaukee.

Patrick secured a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster with the rotation having been hit hard by injuries early on, and he made his first MLB start Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander acquitted himself well in a matchup versus the Royals, taking a no-decision while striking out five and allowing six baserunners over 4.2 scoreless frames. He'll make another turn through the rotation Sunday, and he should be able to provide the Brewers with a little more length after building up to 86 pitches in his first start.

Banda (3-0) picked up the win against Philadelphia on Saturday, pitching one perfect inning.

Roki Sasaki logged another short outing (four-plus innings) for Los Angeles, and Banda took over in the fourth with a pair of runners on base and nobody out. He managed to escape the jam with the help of some poor Phillies baserunning -- after J.T. Realmuto advanced to third on a flyout, Bryson Stott was thrown out at first for a double play on another flyball that would have easily scored Realmuto. Still, it was another effective performance for Banda, who has pitched five scoreless frames over five outings to begin the campaign. He leads MLB with three wins, though given the unpredictable nature of reliever victories, that doesn't mean much for fantasy purposes.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-1 win against Philadelphia.

Conforto capped the scoring in the contest with a sixth-inning solo shot. The veteran outfielder has enjoyed a strong start to his tenure with the Dodgers, slashing .308/.419/.692 with two homers, five RBI, six runs and a 5:7 BB:K through 31 plate appearances. Conforto appears to be more than a platoon option for Los Angeles, as he started the team's most recent game against a left-handed pitcher.