MLB Player News

Stubbs will start against Oakland on Sunday with Gerrit Cole on the mound, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

This will be Stubbs' second start since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock as a replacement for the injured Max Stassi (knee). He had a pair of hits, including a double, and an RBI in his previous start, which was his MLB debut. Robinson Chirinos, who has started seven of the last eight games, gets a well-deserved break.

Knizner will make his major-league debut Sunday versus the Cubs, catching and batting eighth.

Knizner had his contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis on Friday after Yadier Molina (thumb) landed on the injured list, and he only had to wait a couple days to enter the big-league lineup. The 24-year-old was slashing .286/.355/.450 with five home runs prior to his promotion from Triple-A.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh.

Grandal started the last 14 games behind the dish for the Brewers, so it's no surprise to see him get the day off after playing all 13 innings of Saturday's victory. Manny Pina will serve as the catcher for Zach Davies and bat eighth.

Garver (ankle) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will start at catcher and bat leadoff Sunday against the Rays, Kevin Gorg of Fox Sports North reports.

The Twins haven't announced a corresponding move to open up a spot on the active roster for Garver, but long reliever Zack Littell's absence from the lineup card suggests he may have been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Prior to suffering a left high ankle sprain May 14, Garver had emerged as the Twins' top catcher after showing improved defense while slashing an impressive .329/.418/.747 through his first 91 plate appearances. Jason Castro and Willians Astudillo remain relevant in the Twins' catching timeshare, but Garver profiles as the most interesting of the three for fantasy purposes, as he'll likely see the most starts and occupy a more prominent spot in the batting order when he plays.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

D'Arnaud was behind the plate for Saturday's 6-2 loss, but he's set to see his opportunities decline considerably after the Rays activated top catcher Mike Zunino (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list Friday. Since being acquired from the Dodgers on May 10, d'Arnaud has slashed a pedestrian .186/.265/.233 in 49 plate appearances.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Milwaukee.

Diaz went 3-for-7 with a double and four RBI in Saturday's 13-inning loss, and it's no surprise to see him take a seat after catching all 276 pitches in the extra-inning affair. Jacob Stallings will take over behind the plate and bat seventh in the series finale.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Gomes will retreat to the bench after starting behind the plate in the first two games of the series. Kurt Suzuki will catch for starting pitcher Max Scherzer in the final game in Cincinnati.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Phillies.

Smith saved his hit for the bottom of the ninth inning, raking his homer down the left-field line to give the Dodgers the win. Smith has gone 4-for-14 in four games, seeing the majority of the playing time behind the dish while Austin Barnes is out with a groin injury. Smith is expected to return to Triple-A Oklahoma City when Barnes is activated, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Perez (oblique) took batting practice against teammate Anthony Banda (elbow) in Port Charlotte on Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Perez made steady progress throughout the last few days, and Saturday was another step towards getting back into game action. Assuming there are no setbacks stemming from his latest activity, the young backstop could begin a brief rehab assignment with High-A Charlotte as soon as Sunday.

Smith will go back to Triple-A Oklahoma City when Austin Barnes (groin) returns from the injured list, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith has started four of six games since getting called up after Barnes' injury, but manager Dave Roberts said that the 24-year-old will head back to Triple-A when Barnes returns. Barnes is eligible for activation June 7, so Smith should see a few more at-bats as the stopgap until then. He was lighting up Triple-A before his callup and made a good first impression at the dish and defensively, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Smith get another run with the big club somewhere down the line this season.