MLB Player News

Kelly is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

He'll give way to Miguel Amaya behind the dish in the series finale. Kelly started at catcher in the first two tilts in Milwaukee and went 1-for-6 with two walks and a double.

The Cubs recalled Wicks from Triple-A Iowa, and he's expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Ryan Rolison during Sunday's game against the Brewers, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The left-hander made two starts for Chicago in late May and gave up 11 earned runs across 6.1 innings before being returned to Iowa. Wicks will now get another look in the majors, this time following an opener. In four starts at Triple-A since that brief stint in the big leagues, the 26-year-old surrendered 18 earned runs over 15.2 frames.

Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Kepler will get a breather for the series finale after he started in left field Friday and Saturday following his reinstatement from an 80-game suspension. Lourdes Gurriel will start in left field Sunday, but Kepler appears likely to get a long look as a strong-side platoon player.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Adrian Del Castillo will receive a turn behind the plate while Moreno rests for the series finale. Moreno had started the last four contests, going 5-for-14 with two walks, two runs and an RBI while extending his hitting streak to a season-long 11 games.

Young is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

After starting at first base in the first two games of the series and going 1-for-6 with a walk, an RBI and a run, the left-handed hitter will retreat to the bench versus Jesus Luzardo. Eric Wagaman will replace Young at first base and bat cleanup.

Rincones is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

The Mets are going with a left-handed opening pitcher (Cionel Perez) in the series finale, so the left-handed-hitting Rincones will cede his spot in the outfield to the right-handed-hitting Derek Hill. Since being promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 12, Rincones has hit .118 with one home run and a 0:9 BB:K over 34 plate appearances while mainly being used in the strong side of a platoon in right field.

Eldridge went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's 5-0 win over Atlanta.

Eldridge doubled in the second inning before coming around to score, marking his second two-bagger in as many days. The 21-year-old has been struggling at the plate of late, batting .111 with three runs scored across 32 plate appearances over his last eight games. Overall, he's slashing .279/.374/.486 with 22 runs scored, 16 RBI and six home runs in 163 plate appearances this season.

Ewing is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The rookie center fielder has regularly started against left-handed pitching since getting called up by the Mets in mid-May, but he'll receive a day off Sunday versus Jesus Luzardo. Ewing started the previous seven contests and went 8-for-24 with four walks, a double and a homer during that span.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Horwitz (hamstring) will remain out for"weeks, not days," and the first baseman isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Pittsburgh placed Horwitz on the shelf Thursday, and Cherington's comments imply that the 28-year-old is dealing with more than a mild strain of his left hamstring and will require more than the minimum 10 days to make a full recovery. Ryan O'Hearn will make a fourth consecutive start at first base Sunday and should serve as the primary option at the position until at least mid-July. Before getting hurt, Horwitz had settled in as the Pirates' leadoff hitter and had slashed .280/.386/.455 with a 40:40 BB:K, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs on the season.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Cruz (hand) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point in July, most likely after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The timeline laid out by Cherington isn't an unexpected one, after the GM had previously said June 14 that Cruz was likely to need 4-to-6 weeks to recover from non-displaced fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures in his left hand. Cruz has made positive strides in his recovery over the past two weeks and is scheduled to report to the Pirates' facility in Florida this week to accelerate his baseball activities.