MLB Player News

Sullivan went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against the Padres.

Sullivan has started three straight games with Hunter Goodman (finger) unable to handle defensive work behind the plate. Sullivan managed a double for the second consecutive contest, also knocking in Colorado's only two runs on the day. He has only 135 career plate appearances in the majors, but Sullivan has hit just .216 with two home runs.

Kelly went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

Making his 10th start over the first 15 games of the season, Kelly doubled in the fourth inning before providing the game-winning, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Kelly is now slashing .308/.426/.385 with three doubles, four RBI, four runs scored and an 8:8 BB:K across 47 plate appearances.

Ballesteros went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

With the Cubs struggling to score runs, manager Craig Counsell shook up his lineup Sunday and moved Ballesteros up to the second spot after he hit no higher than fifth in the order in any of the previous 14 games. Ballesteros struck out in the first inning but tagged Bubba Chandler for a solo shot in the third before singling in the fifth. Ballesteros was later pinch hit for in the seventh. The 22-year-old is now slashing .294/.342/.471 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs scored and a 3:9 BB:K across 38 plate appearances. If he's able to stick near the top of the lineup, Ballesteros should have more opportunities to make an impact in the box score.

Sullivan will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Padres.

Though top backstop Hunter Goodman will remain in the lineup at designated hitter Sunday, he has yet to resume catching since suffering a right middle finger laceration in Thursday's 7-3 loss. Sullivan will pick up his third consecutive start as a result, but since the Rockies haven't been compelled to call up another catcher from the minors, Goodman will presumably return to action behind the plate in the near future. Sullivan's playing time will almost certainly tail off considerably at that point.

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

After starting behind the plate in each of the past four games, Smith will get a chance to catch his breath while the Dodgers wrap up their series with Texas. Dalton Rushing will get the nod at catcher and will bat eighth.

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

Amaya had a brief surge in playing time to begin April, but he appears to have slid back into a part-time role behind Carson Kelly at catcher and Moises Ballesteros at designated hitter. The Cubs will keep Amaya on the bench for the third time in four games.

Bart will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Bart will pick up his third start behind the plate in four games, but he'll likely need to improve his production to firmly overtake Henry Davis as the Bucs' No. 1 catcher. While Davis has disappointed with a .194/.286/.290 slash line over 35 plate appearances, Bart (.368 OPS across 17 plate appearances) hasn't fared any better.

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

Pages will rest up for the series finale after he started behind the dish Friday and Saturday. Ivan Herrera will handle catching duties Sunday.

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

After alternating the starts at catcher between Ruiz and Drew Millas in their first 12 games of the season, the Nationals broke that trend this weekend. Ruiz ended up starting behind the dish Friday and Saturday, going 1-for-5 with a double and a run between those games. Though he'll give way to Millas on Sunday, Ruiz's back-to-back starts could signal that the Nationals may be willing to hand him a larger share of the workload.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Realmuto is available for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks only in an emergency while contending with a sore foot, Ty Daubert of PhilliesNation.com reports.

Thomson indicated that Realmuto wasn't in line for a day off Sunday, but the Phillies are choosing to hold him out after the backstop took a foul ball off his foot during Saturday's 4-3 win. Rafael Marchan will handle catching duties in the series finale, but Realmuto could be ready to step back in behind the plate for Monday's game against the Cubs.