MLB Player News

Ruiz went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI Sunday against Atlanta.

Ruiz hammered a three-run blast in the fourth to give the Nationals a lead they would never relinquish. He later added a fourth RBI on a sac fly in the fifth that provided the Nationals with their eighth and final run of the contest. It was the fourth homer of the season for Ruiz to go along with 17 RBI and 16 runs as he's struggled to a .202 average through 163 at-bats.

Pages went 1-for-2 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Rockies.

Pages' RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the second inning to open the scoring. The backup catcher has had few chances to make an impact, and he's rarely done so even when in the lineup. He's slashing .091/.241/.136 with no home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a double over 29 plate appearances this season. Ivan Herrera seems set to hold down a starting job at catcher until Willson Contreras (forearm) returns, at which point Pages is likely ticketed for Triple-A Memphis.

Alvarez (thumb) resumed his rehab assignment Sunday with High-A Brooklyn, starting at catcher while going 0-for-5 in a 7-6 loss to Aberdeen.

After going 3-for-14 with a home run and three walks across the first five games of his rehab assignment, Alvarez had been out of the Brooklyn lineup for each of the previous three days while tending to a family matter in his native Venezuela. He rejoined Brooklyn for its final game of the week, and though he came up empty at the plate, getting additional at-bats under his belt is the more pressing concern for Alvarez as he looks to prove he's made a full recovery from the left thumb surgery he underwent in late April. If the Mets are comfortable with Alvarez's health coming out of Sunday's contest, he could be activated from the 10-day injured list for the start of the big club's series with the Marlins that begins Tuesday.

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two RBI singles during Sunday's 9-2 win over the Rays.

Rutschman busted the game open with his second career grand slam, giving the Orioles a 9-2 lead in the eighth inning. His contributions didn't end there, driving in two more batters with RBI singles in the third and seventh innings. His six total RBI were a career high, surpassing his previous best of four. Rutschman has generated a hit in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .339 with four home runs and 16 RBI with a 14.8 percent strikeout rate over that span.

Wells is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Wells has gone 2-for-12 with two RBI and six strikeouts through four games in June, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Jose Trevino will work behind the plate and bat ninth.

Moreno (illness) is starting behind the plate and batting eighth Sunday at San Diego.

The 24-year-old catcher was a late scratch Saturday due to an illness but is back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale. Moreno struggled to a .220/.292/.288 slash line during May but has rebounded early in June with a .761 OPS through seven contests.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Herrera started the first three games of the series and will receive Sunday off after going 2-for-12 with three runs. Pedro Pages will work behind the plate with righty Andre Pallante.

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

Murphy started the previous three games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale in Washington. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate to catch for Hurston Waldrep in his MLB debut.

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

It's a well-deserved day off for Stephenson, who started the previous nine games and posted a .905 OPS during that stretch. Luke Maile will take over behind the plate Sunday and bat eighth.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Grandal started the first two games of the series but will sit for the finale after going 0-for-6 with a walk and a strikeout. Henry Davis will take over behind the plate to catch for Jared Jones.