MLB Player News

Stephenson is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Giants.

Stephenson started behind the dish in the first two games of the series, so he'll get a breather for Thursday's matinee. P.J. Higgins will do the catching and bat ninth for the Reds.

Ramos is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Cincinnati.

Ramos isn't dealing with any known injury, but this will be his second straight game he's been absent from the lineup. He did come off the bench to deliver an RBI single in Wednesday's contest, but Ramos is slashing just .234/.258/.266 with a 2:24 BB:K in his first 17 contests this season. Will Brennan, Drew Gilbert and Jung Hoo Lee will form the Giants' outfield trio again Thursday.

Atlanta optioned Harris to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Harris was promoted Tuesday but didn't make an appearance during his brief time with the big club. His roster spot will be taken by Martin Perez, who is slated to be called up to start Friday in Philadelphia.

Atlanta selected Hamilton's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Hamilton didn't make the Opening Day roster after inking a split contract over the offseason, but he'll get a look with the big club now after allowing two runs with a 9:1 K:BB over his first 6.1 innings at Gwinnett. The 30-year-old has typically been pretty effective when healthy, authoring a 3.45 ERA and 152:62 K:BB over the last three seasons with the Yankees. He'll work in middle relief.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer confirmed that Dollander will cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen behind opening pitcher Juan Mejia during Thursday's game against the Astros in Houston, Eli Whitney of BlakeStreetBanter.com reports.

After making a one-inning appearance in his most recent outing Sunday against the Padres, Dollander was expected to continue serving in a more traditional relief role this week with the Rockies getting Jose Quintana (hamstring) back from the injured list Wednesday, but Kyle Freeland's (shoulder) move to the IL in a corresponding transaction has left a rotation spot open. The Rockies will turn to Dollander to essentially take Freeland's turn Thursday, but the 24-year-old righty will probably need a strong showing against the Astros to ensure he receives additional bulk-relief appearances or starts. Tanner Gordon struck out four over four scoreless innings of long relief in Wednesday's 3-1 loss, giving the Rockies a viable alternative the next time as a fifth starter is needed if Dollander can't get the job done.

Mejia is listed as the Rockies' opening pitcher for Thursday's game against the Astros.

The 25-year-old righty will be making his first MLB start Thursday, but because he hasn't covered more than two innings in any of his appearances during the regular season or spring training, he's unlikely to work more than once through the batting order before exiting the game. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer confirmed that Chase Dollander will work in bulk relief behind Mejia on Thursday, per Eli Whitney of BlakeStreetBanter.com.

Suarez went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Giants.

Suarez took Tyler Mahle deep in the first inning. It was the first home run in 12 games for Suarez, who had just two RBI during his homer drought. Batting in the middle of the order behind Elly De La Cruz (.363 OBP) and Sal Stewart (.434), both of whom cleared the bases with their own home runs Wednesday, should result in plenty of RBI opportunities for Suarez, who has driven in nine runs over 18 games.

Turner went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 11-2 loss to the Cubs.

Turner wasted no time getting Philadelphia on the board, crushing a 423-foot solo homer off Shota Imanaga on the second pitch of the game. It was his second home run of the season and extended his strong stretch at the plate. Turner has now recorded a hit in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .283 with seven RBI and 10 runs scored across 64 plate appearances during that span.

Pages went 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Mets.

Pages ended up looking a little more human against the Mets, going 3-for-10 with four strikeouts over the three-game series to start the week. The outfielder is still sporting a stellar .409/.451/.697 slash line across 18 contests this season. He's contributing in all areas with five home runs, 20 RBI, 10 runs scored, three steals on four attempts and four doubles. Pages' average will come down eventually, but he should still be a reliable source of counting stats as part of a powerful offense.

Luzardo (1-3) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and one walk while striking out four over 5.1 innings.

Luzardo was prone to big innings once again, as after two scoreless frames to begin the game in which Chicago managed only one hit, the Cubs posted a three-spot in the third and then chased the the left-hander from the contest with four runs in the sixth. Luzardo's performance Wednesday continued a troubling early-season trend, as he has now allowed five or more earned runs in three of his first four starts, ballooning his ERA to 7.94 through 22.2 innings despite a 30:5 K:BB. While there's still plenty of time for Luzardo to turn things around, it's been a concerning start after Philadelphia committed to him long term with a five-year, $135 million extension this spring.