MLB Player News

Pratt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Pratt will sit Sunday after starting the previous four games, and he went 2-for-12 with three walks, a steal and a run during that span. The 21-year-old has struggled to a .200/.317/.220 slash line with one double, six steals, two RBI and five runs in his first 17 big-league games. Joey Ortiz is taking over at shortstop for the series finale in Arizona.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Contreras started the previous six games and will receive a day off after posting a .231/.286/.231 slash line during that stretch. Gary Sanchez is working behind the plate in the series finale for the Brewers.

Winn (elbow) struck out two in a scoreless inning during a rehab outing with the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate in its 9-5 win over the ACL Athletics on Friday.

Winn was placed on the 15-day injured list June 14 with a right elbow strain and resumed throwing a little over a week later before returning to game action Friday. The right-hander started the contest and threw 10 of his 15 pitches for strikes. He's worked exclusively out of the bullpen for San Francisco this season, recording a 3.23 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB across 30.2 innings in 29 appearances.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto launched a two-run homer during Saturday's contest but will hit the bench Sunday for the second time in the past three games. Garrett Stubbs is picking up a start behind the plate Sunday for Philadelphia.

Cavalli was lifted midway through the third inning of his start Sunday against the Pirates due to an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out three over 2.1 innings prior to departing.

Fresh off striking out a career-high 13 batters while yielding just one hit over seven innings in his previous start Tuesday in Boston, Cavalli was unable to keep the momentum going. He needed 63 pitches to record his seven outs, and seemed to be pitching through an injury during the start. His velocity was down from its usual levels throughout the afternoon, and he was visited on the mound by the Nationals' athletic trainer at one point during the second inning before leaving the game one frame later. Expect manager Blake Butera to shed light on Cavalli's condition when he address the media following Sunday's game.

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

After he was held out of the lineup for the first two games of the series against lefty starters, the left-handed hitter will remain on the bench even with right-hander Javier Assad on the bump for the Cubs. Crooks looks as though he'll have to settle for a part-time role while the Cardinals continue to carry two other catchers (Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages) on the active roster.

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

Conforto started the previous three games and will take a seat Sunday after going 5-for-11 with two walks, two homers, four RBI and four runs during that span. The veteran outfielder should continue to see regular playing time against right-handed pitching through the All-Star break with Matt Shaw (hand) on the injured list, though Conforto is likely to continue sitting versus southpaws. Kevin Alcantara is starting as the designated hitter against St. Louis lefty Matthew Liberatore while Seiya Suzuki handles right field.

Fermin will start at third base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Fermin will claim his third consecutive start -- and his second in a row at third base -- after going 3-for-9 with two doubles, one RBI and one run over the first two contests of the series. With rookie Blaze Jordan (.642 OPS) offering middling production at the hot corner since being promoted from Triple-A Memphis on June 12, Fermin has a path to unseating him atop the depth chart. The 27-year-old hasn't provided much power (.398 SLG) or speed (three steals) while logging 144 plate appearances this season, but Fermin's been able to maintain a solid .271 batting average with a strong 13.9 percent strikeout rate.

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

Jose Fermin will make a second consecutive start at third base over Jordan, whose grasp on an everyday role appears to be loosening. Before busting out for three hits and scoring three runs in a 17-1 romp Friday, Jordan had gone just 2-for-21 over his prior eight starts. He's slashing .246/.265/.377 overall since receiving a promotion from Triple-A Memphis on June 12.

The Pirates designated Wendzel for assignment Sunday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

He'll give up his spot on the 40-man roster to right-hander Noah Murdock, who exercised an upward-mobility clause in his minor-league contract. Wendzel, 29, appeared in two games for the Pirates back in June but has otherwise spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis, with whom he's produced a .230/.349/.461 slash line and 10 home runs across 261 plate appearances.