MLB Player News

Horwitz will start at first base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Mets.

Heading into spring training, the 28-year-old's role was somewhat muddled following the offseason additions of Marcell Ozuna, Ryan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe, but Horwitz looks to have settled into a strong-side platoon role at first base. He's occupied the position for the Pirates' first two games against right-handed pitchers, with O'Hearn spelling him Saturday when the Mets sent lefty David Peterson to the hill.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

The veteran slugger will receive the afternoon off after he started the Pirates' first two games of the season and went 1-for-9 with a walk. With Ozuna on the bench, Bryan Reynolds will cede left field to Jake Mangum and shift to designated hitter.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough announced that Fairbanks won't be available Sunday against the Rockies after pitching the past two days, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The club's new closer, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract in late December, fired two scoreless frames and picked up two saves in Miami's first two games of the season. Fairbanks won't be available Sunday after pitching back-to-back days, which is hardly a surprise this early in the campaign. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi should be in the mix to fill in as the Marlins' closer should a save situation arise Sunday.

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

It's just a maintenance day for Alvarez after he started the first two games of the season. He's gone 2-for-6 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored. Luis Torrens will catch for righty Nolan McLean on Sunday.

Hayes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Hayes will give way to Eugenio Suarez at third base in the series finale after he started in the Reds' first two games of the season while going 0-for-7 with a run scored. While Hayes has produced at well-below-league-average levels at the plate each of the past two seasons, his exceptional defense at the hot corner should keep him in the lineup more often than not.

Abrams (personal) will start at shortstop and bat sixth Sunday against the Cubs, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The 25-year-old shortstop was away from the team for Saturday's contest due to a death in his family, but he's rejoined the club in Chicago for Sunday's series finale. Abrams went 1-for-4 with two RBI in the season opener Thursday.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley placed Rincones (knee) on the 7-day injured list Friday.

Before being optioned to Triple-A on March 7, Rincones had been shut down for much of spring training due to a sore left knee and apparently still needs more time to heal up. Assuming the knee doesn't prove to be a long-term concern, Rincones could make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 if he can hit the ground running once he's cleared to play.

Stott is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

After going 2-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base while starting in the Phillies' first two contests of the season, the left-handed-hitting Stott will hit the bench while the Rangers send southpaw MacKenzie Gore to the bump. Edmundo Sosa will fill in for Stott at the keystone.

Marsh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Marsh will get his first breather of 2026 after he went 3-for-8 with two doubles and two RBI through the Phillies' first two contests. Though he'll be on the bench versus southpaw MacKenzie Gore, Marsh won't necessarily be used as a strict platoon player. Justin Crawford is also in the lineup Sunday, but he's also a left-handed batter who could occasionally cede center field to Marsh against southpaws as a result of Johan Rojas's suspension.

Gorman is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Rays.

The left-handed-hitting Gorman was in the five spot in the lineup versus righties in each of the first two games of the season, but he'll sit out Sunday as the Cardinals go up against southpaw Steven Matz. Ramon Urias is at third base and batting sixth for St. Louis. Gorman has gone 2-for-8 with three RBI in the first two tilts of the season.