MLB Player News

Pauley is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

The Marlins are facing off against a third straight left-handed starting pitcher (Brandon Williamson), so the left-handed-hitting Pauley will once again cede third base to Javier Sanoja. Despite being out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Yankees, Pauley was able to come up big off the bench, delivering a two-run double in the eighth inning to give the Marlins the lead in their eventual 7-6 win.

Williamson will start at second base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Cubs, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

After being activated from the injured list, Taylor Walls (oblique) will cover shortstop in the Rays' home opener, but Williamson will remain in the lineup for a seventh straight game while shifting over to the keystone. Through his first nine games with the Rays, Williamson is hitting .281, but he's not offering much aid in other categories (zero home runs, one steal, seven runs and three RBI). Even so, Williamson's slick fielding and ability to hit for contact may be enough for him to stick around in a near-everyday role in the Tampa Bay middle infield.

Devers started at first base and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets.

Devers played the field for the first time this season after previously serving as the designated hitter due to left hamstring tightness. The veteran infielder hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning, driving in San Francisco's final run of the game. He recorded just his second RBI of the season Sunday and is now slashing .211/.286/.316 with a home run and an additional run scored across 42 plate appearances in 10 games.

Baty (thumb) is expected to be available for Tuesday's series opener against the Diamondbacks, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old jammed his thumb Saturday and was a late scratch from the lineup Sunday, but the injury doesn't appear to be serious. Baty is still looking for his first homer of 2026, batting .242 (8-for-33) through eight games with two doubles, a triple, a steal, four RBI and six runs.

The Rays activated Walls (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Walls got a late start to the season due to a right oblique strain, but he's been cleared to return to action after playing in some extended spring training contests. The slick-fielding Walls should take over as the Rays' primary shortstop, though the club will want to give Ben Williamson some reps at the position as well.

Vargas entered Sunday's game after first baseman Carlos Santana was removed due to a groin injury. Vargas went 1-for-2 with a walk, a triple and two RBI in a 6-5 extra-inning win over Atlanta.

Santana was done for the day in the second inning, and the two players that might normally have filled in at first base -- Jose Fernandez or Tim Tawa -- were already in the starting lineup. As such, manager Torey Lovullo turned to Vargas, who gave Arizona a lift. He tripled in two runs in his first plate appearance in the fourth inning and has hit safely in all four games in which he's played, going 6-for-11 with three extra-base hits and four RBI. Now that both Pavin Smith (elbow) and Santana are on the shelf, manager Torey Lovullo will roll with a rotation at first base that includes Vargas, Fernandez and Tawa.

Chapman went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, one run scored and a walk in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets.

Chapman doubled home Patrick Bailey in the sixth inning to tie the game 1-1 and scored one batter later on a Rafael Devers single. Chapman then singled in the ninth but was thrown out trying to steal second base. The veteran third baseman is slashing .237/.310/.368 with one home run, four RBI, five runs scored and a 4:7 BB:K across 42 trips to the plate.

Smith went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 12-10 loss to the Athletics.

Smith walked and stole his third base of the season in the fourth inning, drove in a run with a single in the fifth and singled home a pair in the eighth to tie the game 9-9. After a slow start to the season, Smith has a six-game hitting streak and is 8-for-20 with two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored during that time. Smith is now slashing .273/.400/485 across 40 plate appearances.

Caminero went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Sunday's 4-1 extra-inning win over the Twins.

Caminero tied the game with a solo blast in the fourth inning before adding a bases-loaded walk in the 10th. While the homer was his first of the season, the 22-year-old has hit safely in seven of nine games in the early going. Overall, he's slashing .257/.381/.371 with two extra-base hits, two RBI, four runs scored and a 7:6 BB:K across 42 plate appearances.

Rumfield went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

After Mickey Moniak took Taijuan Walker deep for a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning, Hunter Goodman singled before Rumfield swatted a two-run shot to give Colorado an early 3-0 lead. Rumfield has fared well at the plate in his first nine career big-league games to begin the 2026 season, slashing .345/.406/.586 with two home runs, five RBI, four runs scored and a 3:7 BB:K across 32 plate appearances.