MLB Player News

Crooks is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Crooks will get a break after he went 1-for-6 with four strikeouts while starting behind the dish in the first two games of the series. Ivan Herrera will receive the start at catcher in Sunday's finale.

Wetherholt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Wetherholt will get his first day off since July 8 while the Cardinals go with Jose Fermin at the keystone. The NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner has been sluggish at the plate since the All-Star break, slashing .190/.292/.333 with three home runs, three steals, five RBI and 11 runs over 16 games.

Hoerner went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Hoerner hit just his sixth home run of the season, though two of those have come in his last six games. During that span, the infielder is batting .455 with a 1.206 OPS, two stolen bases and seven RBI. Overall, Hoerner is slashing .257/.320/.356, and he's swiped 16 bases, which remains his greatest fantasy asset. He's trending upward and may start to approach his career .279 batting average if he keeps up his recent pace.

McLain went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Pirates.

McLain has started three straight games since coming off the injured list, slotting in at second base and hitting ninth in the order. The stolen base was his 12th of the season, and it provided a strong sign that the calf injury that landed him on the IL is no longer an issue.

Atlanta recalled Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Sunday against the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old rookie will fill the rotation spot of Reynaldo Lopez, who landed on the injured list due to a knee issue. It'll be the eighth start and 14th MLB appearance of the campaign for Ritchie, who has a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 49:33 K:BB across his first 54 big-league innings.

Williamson (shoulder/finger) allowed one earned run on two walks and no walks while striking out three over two innings in a rehab start for Double-A Chattanooga on Saturday. The left-hander also hit a batter.

Williamson, who was placed on the injured list April 30 due to left shoulder fatigue, kicked off a rehab assignment Saturday. After battling some control issues in the first inning, Williamson settled in during the second frame before leaving the contest after tossing 39 pitches. The southpaw will look to build on that workload during his next rehab outing, which is expected to come Thursday with Triple-A Louisville, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Atlanta placed Lopez (knee) on the 15-day injured list Sunday.

Atlanta is labeling Lopez's injury as left knee inflammation, though Mark Bowman of MLB.com relays that the club is still awaiting the results of the right-hander's MRI before providing a timeline for his return. Right-hander JR Ritchie was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move and will step in as Atlanta's new fifth starter beginning with Sunday's game against the Nationals. Since moving back into the rotation in late June after a two-month stint in the bullpen, Lopez went 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB in 28 innings over six starts.

Martinez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Martinez participated in a camp game Friday and reportedly hit 100 mph on his four-seamer. The recent upheaval in the Diamondbacks' bullpen -- Paul Sewald was removed as closer -- indicates Martinez could reclaim the job once he's healthy. That may not happen until September, however.

Sewald allowed five runs on five hits and failed to retire a batter in Saturday's 12-8 win over the Guardians.

Sewald was making his first appearance since being dropped from the closer's role earlier in the week, and it didn't go well. It appeared that manager Torey Lovullo was giving the demoted closer an opportunity to build confidence -- Arizona was leading 10-2 when Sewald entered to begin the eighth inning -- but he allowed five straight hits and was on the hook for three runners on base when he was removed from the game.

Basabe went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four total RBI in a loss to the Padres on Saturday.

Basabe was ultra productive out of the No. 9 slot in the order in his first start of the season. The 25-year-old put San Francisco on the board with a solo homer in the third inning, then came up huge in a clutch spot in the eighth when he laced a two-out, two-RBI double off All-Star closer Mason Miller to tie the score 5-5. Basabe had all of one homer over 96 MLB plate appearances coming into Saturday, so his display of power was quite unexpected. His ability to play multiple infield positions could come in handy for San Francisco, but Basabe isn't expected to start on a regular basis.