MLB Player News

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

Benson started the first eight games of the season but will take a seat Sunday while mired in a 2-for-19 slump. Bubba Thompson will start in center field and bat ninth in the series finale versus New York.

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

Fraley will head to the bench for the fourth time this season, with all four instances coming against a left-handed starter. Stuart Fairchild will start in right field versus Mets southpaw Sean Manaea.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Ruiz will get a breather for the day game after he was behind the dish for both of the past two contests while going 0-for-8 with a strikeout. Riley Adams will draw the start at catcher and form a battery with pitcher MacKenzie Gore.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Martinez won't participate in baseball activities for two days after reporting "overall body soreness" before he returns to Single-A St. Lucie's lineup Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Martinez was looking to join the Mets during the four-game series in Atlanta that begins Monday, but that's no longer a possibility. The 35-year-old could join the big club for Friday's series opener versus Kansas City in New York, though his season debut may get pushed back further. Martinez's outlook should receive more clarity once he attempts to return to minor-league action.

Rosario is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Rosario has sat against all three of the left-handed starters Washington has faced this season, and that trend will continue Sunday versus Philadelphia southpaw Cristopher Sanchez. Jacob Young will start in center field and bat leadoff.

Thompson is expected to lose his rotation spot and move to the bullpen with Sonny Gray (hamstring) on track to return from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Rather than sending Gray out for a minor-league rehab assignment after he tossed 54 pitches in a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, the Cardinals saw enough from the veteran right-hander to feel comfortable having him return from the IL for his next outing. According to Jones, Thompson won't be available out of the bullpen Sunday against the Marlins or in Monday's series opener with the Phillies just in case Gray suffers a setback leading up to Tuesday's game, but Thompson looks like he'll be headed for a relief role before long. Since he isn't yet fully ramped up, Gray is expected to be limited to 65 pitches Tuesday, so Thompson could even be called upon to pitch an inning or two once the former exits his start. After faring respectably upon joining the St. Louis rotation over the final two months of the 2023 campaign, Thompson has struggled to carry any momentum into 2024. Over his first two starts, Thompson has given up eight earned runs on 11 hits and six walks while striking out nine over 10.1 innings.

Taylor is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus Baltimore, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Taylor is working as Pittsburgh's primary center fielder to begin the season, though he finds himself on the bench Sunday for the second straight game. Jack Suwinski will shift to center field while Bryan Reynolds and Connor Joe start in left and right, respectively.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It's the second straight day on the bench for McCutchen, who is 3-for-20 with four walks and 11 strikeouts through his first five games of the season. Edward Olivares will bat seventh as the designated hitter.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Gray (hamstring) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday against the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The organization originally planned for Gray to make a minor-league rehab start before joining St. Louis' rotation, but the veteran right-hander apparently made a strong argument to instead make his season debut. Gray threw 54 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday and is expected to be limited to about 65 pitches versus Philadelphia.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Martinez won't join the big-league club during the four-game series in Atlanta that begins Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The veteran slugger made two appearances at Single-A St. Lucie this weekend but isn't quite ready to join the Mets. The earliest Martinez could now join the MLB club is Friday's series opener versus the Royals in New York, though it's unclear if he's expected to join the team at that point.