MLB Player News

Crawford is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The rookie outfielder has started eight of 12 games against left-handed starting pitchers this season, but he'll take a seat versus Chris Sale. Crawford is mired in a 4-for-34 slump and has struggled overall versus southpaws with just one hit in 17 plate appearances, so it may not be long before he transitions to a straight platoon role. Dylan Moore is covering center field Sunday.

Stanton (calf) isn't starting Sunday against Houston.

This will be the second straight game on the shelf for Stanton after he was pulled from Friday's contest versus Houston due to right calf tightness. Manager Aaron Boone was ambiguous when discussing Stanton's injury Saturday, saying the issue is "not ideal" and adding, "But that doesn't mean great or terrible," per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. It isn't yet clear if a stint on the injured list is ahead for Stanton, who has been New York's primary DH this season. Ben Rice is getting a start in that slot Sunday.

Diaz isn't in the Astros' lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He'll begin on the bench with Christian Vazquez doing the catching. Diaz is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 6-for-20 with a home run, two doubles and three RBI.

Yastrzemski is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The veteran outfielder will typically sit versus left-handed starting pitchers, but his absence Sunday is his first of the year against a righty (Aaron Nola). Yastrzemski has yet to get on track at the plate this season with a .188/.266/.247 slash line in 94 plate appearances, and his 26.6 percent strikeout rate would be the worst of his eight-year MLB career.

Altuve is out of the starting lineup Sunday versus the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve started the previous nine contests, but the veteran second baseman had just two hits over his past 20 at-bats, so he'll get a chance to recharge. Braden Shewmake is starting at second base for Houston in Altuve's stead Sunday.

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

It's the second straight contest on the bench for Smith, who saw a nine-game hit streak end Saturday when he struck out as a pinch hitter. The 30-year-old batted .364 (12-for-33) with two doubles, two homers and nine RBI during that stretch. Each of his past two absences have come versus right-handed starting pitchers as Atlanta prioritizes keeping Michael Harris' bat in the lineup at DH while he deals with a minor quad strain. The pending return of Sean Murphy (hip) from the IL presents a bigger obstacle to Smith's playing time in the long run.

The Athletics activated Rooker (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Rooker landed on the injured list April 10 and ended up missing just over two weeks of playing time. He had been struggling prior to going down, slashing just .146/.245/.293 with two homers, eight RBI and two stolen bases over his first 12 games. Rooker will look to convert his time off into a fresh start as he aims to hit the 30-homer mark for a third straight season.

The Nationals placed Beeter on the 15-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to April 23, due to right forearm soreness.

It's unclear when exactly the right-hander suffered the injury, but he hasn't seen the field since firing a scoreless frame against Atlanta last Tuesday. Beeter and Gus Varland lead the Nationals with two saves each, so Varland is likely to be the primary option at closer while Beeter is sidelined.

DeLauter is not in Cleveland's starting lineup against Toronto on Sunday.

DeLauter started the previous five contests and collected four RBI while going 4-for-20, but he'll hit the bench against lefty Patrick Corbin. David Fry is making a start in right field in DeLauter's stead Sunday.

Kwan (neck) is leading off and starting in center field Sunday versus the Blue Jays.

Kwan didn't start Friday and was then a late scratch Saturday due to nick stiffness. However, the issue seems to have been minor given the outfielder's return one day later. Kwan will look to get back on track at the plate after going 2-for-18 over his previous seven contests.