MLB Player News
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Curtis Mead 3B | WAS
Nationals' Curtis Mead: On bench Sunday
Mead is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Mead has gone 2-for-17 with a walk and a homer in his past five games and will hit the bench for Sunday's series finale. Jorbit Vivas will take over at third base and bat eighth against Seattle righty Emerson Hancock.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Getting Sunday off
Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Stephenson started the first two games of the series and will take a seat for the finale after going 0-for-6 with five strikeouts. Jose Trevino (hamstring) is starting behind the plate in his return from the injured list Sunday.
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Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Not in Sunday's lineup
Steer is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Steer started the past four games and went 1-for-16 with a homer during that stretch, and his struggles extend beyond that with just one hit in his last eight contests. Noelvi Marte is picking up a start in right field for the series finale versus Arizona.
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Will Wagner DH | SD
Padres' Will Wagner: Handling strong-side platoon role
Wagner is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
With the Orioles sending southpaw Trevor Rogers to the hill for the series finale, Wagner will give way to Nick Solak at designated hitter. Wagner had started the last four games against righties, going 4-for-8 with a double and four walks. The 27-year-old could have a fairly clear path to a strong-side platoon role until the Padres get Miguel Andujar (hamstring) back from the injured list.
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Freddy Fermin C | SD
Padres' Freddy Fermin: Not starting Sunday
Fermin (head) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Fermin was removed from Saturday's 9-3 win when he was hit in the mask by a Yuki Matsui warmup pitch in the sixth inning. The backstop was also previously removed from an April 15 game against Seattle after being hit in the mask. Fermin was evaluated for a concussion following his early exit Saturday, but the Padres haven't confirmed that he's experiencing any symptoms. Rodolfo Duran will get the start at catcher Sunday, and Blake Hunt has joined the Padres' taxi squad from Triple-A El Paso in case Fermin needs to go on the injured list.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Good to go Sunday
Bogaerts (head) is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup Sunday against the Orioles.
The veteran shortstop was hit in the head by a pitch during Saturday's contest and exited the game a short while later, but his presence in the lineup Sunday indicates he has no lingering issues. Bogaerts has struggled at the plate in June with a .148/.303/.185 slash line and 27.3 percent strikeout rate through nine games this month.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Could miss up to six weeks
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Cruz (hand) is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Cruz landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday after he was diagnosed with non-displaced fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures in his left hand, with the injury stemming from a hard slide in Atlanta last weekend. While Cruz appears likely to avoid surgery on his hand, he'll still need to wait for the fractures to heal before he resumes baseball activities. Given the timeline laid out by Cherington, it wouldn't be surprising if the Pirates opted to hold Cruz out through the All-Star break.
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Tyler Callihan RF | PIT
Pirates' Tyler Callihan: Solidifying regular role
Callihan will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
The left-handed hitter will be in the lineup for the sixth time in eight games, with both of his absences coming against southpaws. While Oneil Cruz (hand) is on the shelf, the Pirates should have a strong-side platoon role available for Callihan so long as he continues to perform well. The 25-year-old has been sizzling since his May 28 call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis, going 7-for-20 (.350) with five extra-base hits, a stolen base and a 6:6 BB:K over 10 games.
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Endy Rodriguez C | PIT
Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Resting for series finale
Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Rodriguez will take a seat for Sunday's matinee game after he started behind the plate in three of the Bucs' previous four contests. Henry Davis will handle catching duties in the series finale.
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Emilio Pagan RP | CIN
Reds' Emilio Pagan: Ready to throw live BP
Pagan (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Per MLB.com, Pagan had already tossed a pair of bullpen sessions, so this is the next step in his recovery, with a rehab assignment potentially on the horizon. Pagan has been on the shelf since May 6 due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and the Reds' closer situation has been mostly a mess in his absence.