MLB Player News

The Dodgers are expected to recall Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Los Angeles has a vacancy on the 26-man active roster after optioning Wyatt Mills to Triple-A following Tuesday's 9-3 win, so Barnes will slide into the open spot. After Shohei Ohtani had his next turn in the rotation pushed to Friday, the Dodgers are expected to opt for a bullpen game for the series finale in Sacramento, and Barnes will likely be a prominent part of the team's pitching plan. Barnes has produced a 3.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over six starts with Oklahoma City, and after covering 5.2 innings in his most recent outing last Thursday, he'll offer plenty of length out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Kelly will rest for the day game after he caught all nine innings of the Cubs' 9-7 win Tuesday night. Miguel Amaya will handle catching duties in Wednesday's contest.

Andujar is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Andujar started each of the last four games -- twice against lefties, twice against righties -- and went 6-for-14 with two doubles, one walk and one run. He should remain a regular presence in the lineup versus southpaws, but Andujar may have to settle for a part-time role against righties while the Padres seem to be prioritizing Ty France over him for the final spot in the everyday lineup.

Taylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Taylor will exit the lineup for the first time since June 15, breaking a streak of 13 consecutive starts. Since being called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 3, Taylor has been able to take control of an everyday role in the outfield and of the No. 2 spot in the San Diego lineup by slashing .329/.414/.382 with one home run, six stolen bases, 11 RBI and 12 runs through 21 games. Taylor should remain a strong source of steals while he continues to play regularly, but fantasy managers should plan for a further downturn in his batting average, which has been propped up by a .490 BABIP.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Fermin will rest for Wednesday's matinee game after he started at catcher in the first two contests of the series. Rodolfo Duran will step in behind the dish Wednesday and will bat eighth.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that the goal is for Cabrera (hamstring) to be throwing bullpen sessions before the All-Star break, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera landed on the 15-day injured list one week ago because of a moderate left hamstring strain. If Cabrera is able to resume mound work before the break, he would seem to have a chance to rejoin the Cubs' rotation before the end of July. However, the righty needs to check off a few boxes before a clearer timeline emerges.

Taillon (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Taillon has missed a little more than three weeks as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, and he's progressed enough to test himself in a game setting. The right-hander has a chance to rejoin the Cubs rotation for one start before the All-Star break, assuming he comes out of Sunday's outing with no issues and gets his pitch count up to a sufficient level.

Houser allowed two earned runs on five hits, including a home run, and one walk while striking out one in 5.1 relief innings during Tuesday's 8-2 loss to Arizona.

Landen Roupp surrendered six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, opening the door for Houser to cover the rest of the game. The 33-year-old right-hander was moved to the bullpen after drawing his last start June 16. He's made two relief appearances since then, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two in 7.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 5.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB in 73.2 innings this season.

Alvarez will be used in a bulk-relief role Wednesday in Boston, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

All five of Alvarez's appearances in June were traditional starts, but he's operated as a bulk reliever multiple times this season. Brad Lord will open the gme Wednesday for the Nationals and is capable of logging multiple frames, so Alvarez could end up being deployed as part of a piggyback arrangement.

Lord will be the Nationals' opening pitcher in Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

He'll take the ball first before eventually turning the game over to left-hander Andrew Alvarez. Lord has been a starting pitcher in the past and has been used primarily in long relief this season, so he's capable of logging multiple innings Wednesday, if needed.