MLB Player News

Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Fermin will sit for the second straight game while Salvador Perez starts behind the plate and Adam Frazier serves as the Royals' designated hitter. The Royals' willingness to deploy Perez at first base or DH on his non-catching days should continue to open up more playing time for Fermin compared to most No. 2 backstops, though Fermin's opportunities have taken a hit while his bat has cooled down of late. Fermin has gone 2-for-14 with a walk and four strikeouts over his last four starts.

Fry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

After going 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in Friday's 7-0 win, Fry remained in the lineup at designated hitter in Saturday's 7-0 loss, finishing 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Though he was named a first-time All-Star and upholds an .860 OPS on the season, Fry is slashing just .130/.231/.130 over his last nine games and has started to lose out on regular playing time versus right-handed pitching. He'll be the odd man out of the lineup Sunday while Jose Ramirez gets a day out of the infield and serves as the Guardians' designated hitter.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Naylor started the first two games of the series but will receive Sunday off after going 1-for-7 with a run and four strikeouts. Austin Hedges will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the finale.

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

After going 1-for-3 with a walk while logging eight innings behind the plate in Saturday's 4-1 loss in his return from the 10-day injured list, Realmuto will get some maintenance in the series finale in Pittsburgh. Garrett Stubbs will receive the start at catcher Sunday, but Realmuto should see the overwhelming share of work now that he's recovered from right knee surgery, which kept him on the shelf for nearly a month and a half.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Alvarez has gone 1-for-7 with a walk and an RBI to begin the second half, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's matchup in Miami. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate to catch for rookie righty Christian Scott.

Contreras went 4-for-9 with one RBI and one run scored across both games of Saturday's doubleheader versus Atlanta.

Contreras notched his fourth multi-hit effort over 15 games in July with a three-hit game in the nightcap. The catcher looks like he hasn't missed a beat since returning from a broken forearm in late June, batting .278 with four homers and 13 RBI over 22 contests following a six-week absence. He's up to a .280/.404/.511 slash line with 10 homers, 25 RBI, 32 runs scored, 13 doubles and three stolen bases through 53 games this season. Manager Oliver Marmol has committed to keeping Contreras in the lineup, so he should start at either catcher or designated hitter on a near-everyday basis.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Stephenson went 1-for-6 with a solo home run and two walks while starting behind the plate in the first two games of the series, but he'll be given the afternoon off as the Reds look to avoid a three-game sweep in Washington. Austin Wynns will draw the start at catcher Sunday.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Murphy went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader and will sit Sunday while in the midst of a 3-for-23 slump. Travis d'Arnaud will work behind the plate and bat sixth in the series finale.

Haase will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Twins.

Haase has now started in just six of the Brewers' 19 games since he was called up from Triple-A Nashville on June 26. Though his playing time is expected to remain sparse while All-Star catcher William Contreras is healthy, Haase has made the most of his limited opportunities thus far, going 6-for-17 with a home run, a walk, five RBI and two runs through his first five games with Milwaukee.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Mariners.

Diaz singled in his second at-bat and later added a solo homer in the eighth to extend Houston's lead to two runs. The long ball was Diaz's eighth of the season and his first since June 7 against the Angels. It also marked his sixth multi-hit performance this month, during which he's now batting .306 (19-for-62) with 11 RBI and six runs scored. Additionally, Diaz has hit safely in six of his last seven games.