MLB Player News

Espinal will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Espinal will pick up an eighth consecutive start after he recorded at least one hit in each of his previous seven contests while going 11-for-27 with three runs and three RBI. He's seen action at third base, second base, designated hitter and now right field over the last eight games, and the Reds should continue to carve out a regular spot in the lineup for Espinal while he's wielding a hot bat.

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

Though the Reds have two everyday spots available in the lineup with Jake Fraley (knee) and Jeimer Candelario (toe) landing on the injured list, France has still found himself squeezed out of the starting nine on occasion. He'll be on the bench for the second time in three matchups against right-handed pitching, as the Reds are making room in the lineup for new acquisitions Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario at the expense of France. Since being acquired by Cincinnati in late July, France is slashing .239/.284/.433 with three home runs, seven RBI and seven runs through 21 games.

Phillips blew a save opportunity against Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three batters over one inning.

Phillips entered in the ninth inning with the Dodgers up by one run and served up a game-tying solo shot to the first batter he faced (Junior Caminero). Though Phillips bounced back to strike out the next three hitters, it was nonetheless a missed opportunity for the All-Star reliever as he seeks to reestablish himself as the Dodgers' primary closer. The right-hander lost his ninth-inning role after a rough stretch from late June to late July during which he posted an 11.42 ERA and blew two saves over 11 appearances spanning 8.2 innings. Phillips has rebounded in August, as he entered Saturday with 8.1 scoreless frames and a 13:1 K:BB through 10 outings, and he notched his first save in nearly a month Aug. 19 versus Seattle. It's unclear how much Saturday's blown save will impact his opportunities for saves moving forward, but it's likely that Los Angeles will continue to distribute such chances to a variety of relievers, including Michael Kopech and Daniel Hudson in addition to Phillips.

Rojas went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's extra-inning loss to the Rays.

Rojas drove home Max Muncy with a base hit in the bottom of the fifth to bring the Dodgers within one run of Tampa Bay before coming around to score himself on a two-run homer from Shohei Ohtani. The shortstop then took Joel Kuhnel deep in his next trip to the plate to extend his team's lead to two runs, and he added a third run in the bottom of the 10th as Los Angeles narrowly lost in extra innings. Rojas has now hit safely in 12 of 13 games this month, during which he's batting .356 (16-for-45) with seven RBI and eight runs scored. Saturday's long ball was his fourth of the campaign and his first since June 14 against the Royals.

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

Newman finds himself on the bench for the fourth game in a row, with all of those absences coming against right-handed pitching. He looks set to occupy the short side of a platoon at second base with Luis Guillorme while Ketel Marte (ankle) is on the injured list.

The Cardinals placed Contreras (finger) on the 10-day injured list Sunday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 32-year-old fractured the middle finger on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch Saturday against the Twins, so his move to the injured list was to be expected. It's unclear how long Contreras is expected to be sidelined, but he's likely to be out beyond the 10-day minumum.

Kershaw did not factor into the decision in Saturday's loss to the Rays, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings while striking out five.

Kershaw struggled right out of the gate, allowing five consecutive batters to reach with one out in the opening frame, which would lead to four runs coming across for Tampa Bay. The veteran lefty would then hold the Rays scoreless over the next three innings before surrendering another run in the fifth, coughing up a season-high five earned runs overall on the night. The nine hits were also the most he's allowed on the campaign, though he was still able to make it through five innings for the third consecutive outing. Kershaw now carries a 2.95 ERA in August to go along with an 18:5 K:BB.

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

The lefty-hitting Kelenic will take a seat for the third time in four games with the opposition sending another southpaw (DJ Herz) to the hill. Ramon Laureano will step in for Kelenic in left field.

Alvarez (illness) has appeared in Triple-A Gwinnett's last four games, going 8-for-17 with two home runs, two walks, two stolen bases, six RBI and six runs.

Alvarez missed five days' worth of action while recovering from a bout with pneumonia, but he's shown no signs of being slowed down by the illness since rejoining the Gwinnett lineup. Though Alvarez struggled mightily in his first exposure to the majors back in July, he's continued to wield a hot bat at Gwinnett since making the jump to the International League in June. Over 199 plate appearances at Triple-A, Alvarez is slashing .311/.422/.521 with nine home runs and eight stolen bases.

Gallo will start in right field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against Atlanta, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Since returning from the injured list Tuesday, Gallo has started in four of the Nationals' ensuing six games. He'll be making his second start in a row in right field, where he'll be filling in for Alex Call (foot), who was placed on the injured list Saturday. Though Call's injury could put him at risk of missing extended time, Gallo won't necessarily have a clear path to a full-time role for the rest of the season. The Nationals are set to call up prospect Dylan Crews from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, and he could move between right field and center field while poaching starts from Gallo and Jacob Young.