MLB Player News

Ramirez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Ramirez started the previous eight games, but he'll hit the bench Sunday after posting a .206/.229/.353 slash line during that stretch. Liam Hicks will take over behind the plate while Heriberto Hernandez steps into the lineup for the series finale in San Francisco.

Smith (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

The veteran backstop was held out of the lineup Saturday due to back tightness and was expected to rejoin the lineup Sunday, but the Dodgers will instead give him an extra day to recover. Manager Dave Roberts said the injured list isn't currently being considered and indicated that Smith could play Sunday, if necessary. Dalton Rushing will pick up a second straight start behind the plate for the Dodgers.

D'Arnaud (foot) is starting behind the plate and batting eighth Sunday against the Royals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After battling a foot injury, the 37-year-old is making his first start in a week due to Logan O'Hoppe landing on the injured list due to a fractured wrist. D'Arnaud has tallied just 19 plate appearances through the Angels' first 28 games of the season, but he's now poised to operate as the club's primary catcher while O'Hoppe is on the shelf. Sebastian Rivero was called up to take over the backup job.

The Angels placed O'Hoppe on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left wrist fracture.

O'Hoppe departed Saturday's game against the Royals after being struck by a foul tip behind the plate. The 26-year-old is without an official timeline for his return, but it seems likely he'll be sidelined beyond the 10-day minimum. Travis d'Arnaud should step in as the Halos' primary catcher while O'Hoppe is on the shelf. Sebastian Rivero was called up Sunday to take over the backup job.

Pages (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Pages exited Saturday's contest due to left hamstring soreness and will miss at least one game. According to Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the 27-year-old backstop said that medical imaging came back clean, so he could rejoin the lineup for Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh. Ivan Herrera will step behind the plate Sunday as Ramon Urias enters the starting nine.

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.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Alvarez was never likely to be behind the plate for both games of Sunday's twin bill, and he'll sit for the matinee after a run of four straight starts. Luis Torrens is doing the catching for Nolan McLean in the opener.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.

Stephenson started the first two games of the series against Detroit and will receive Sunday off after going 1-for-6 with two walks, a double, an RBI and four strikeouts. Jose Trevino (back) will start behind the plate in his return from the injured list.

Ballesteros went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Ballesteros continued his strong start to the season, as he's now batting .397 with a 1.136 OPS and four home runs through 24 games. The 22-year-old has emerged as Chicago's top DH option due to his strong offensive production, though the team is still rotating other players into that spot, particularly when facing left-handed starters.

Amaya went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Amaya lifted his second home run of the season in the fifth inning against Roki Sasaki. This was the catcher's 18th appearance of the year through 27 team games, while Carson Kelly has played in 21 contests so far. Kelly has also been a bit better offensively with a .900 OPS compared to a .728 OPS for Amaya, so it doesn't appear as if their playing time split will change any time soon.