MLB Player News

Benson is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with Atlanta.

The lefty-hitting Benson will head to the bench for the second game of the day while southpaw Chris Sale takes the hill for Atlanta. Stuart Fairchild will enter the starting nine in center field in place of Benson, who went 1-for-4 with a double in Cincinnati's 9-4 win in the first game of the day.

Fraley is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta.

With a tough lefty (Chris Sale) on the bump for Atlanta, the lefty-hitting Fraley will retreat to the bench for the nightcap. Austin Slater will pick up a start in the corner outfield in place of Fraley, who went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run -- his second of the season -- and a stolen base in Cincinnati's 9-4 win in the first game of the day.

Stephenson is not in the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Atlanta.

Stephenson went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs while catching all nine innings of the Reds' 9-4 win in the first game of the day, so his absence from the lineup from the nightcap is expected. Austin Wynns will start behind the plate for the Reds in Game 2.

Gordon will start in left field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

After going 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 win in the series opener, Gordon will be rewarded with a second consecutive start. Gordon had lost hold of his spot in the everyday lineup in late June, but he's started to regain playing time while he's begun to shown some signs of life at the plate lately. Over his last seven games, Gordon has six hits in 18 at-bats while scoring three times.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Though Fortes has been more productive at the plate in July with a .282/.300/.333 slash line after a rough first three months of the season, his grasp on the primary catcher gig appears to have loosened after he had a game to forget in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mets. Fortes committed three throwing errors in the win, prompting manager Skip Schumaker to send him to the bench Wednesday for the third game in a row. Ali Sanchez will once again start behind the dish.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Reynolds (back) is fine and will travel with the club for its road trip that begins Friday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Reynolds had to be scratched from Wednesday's lineup versus the Cardinals after his back locked up on him when he was getting out of the car earlier in the day. However, Shelton said it was mostly a matter of the day game not giving Reynolds enough time to get loose and that the outfielder was moving around normally by the time the contest was over. It sounds like Reynolds should be back in the lineup Friday in Arizona following the club's scheduled off day Thursday.

Stallings will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Stallings will pick up his third start in four games, but his playing time is set to take a hit now that top backstop Elias Diaz has shaken the calf injury that kept him out of the lineup Sunday and Monday. Diaz is back on the bench Wednesday, but his absence looks to be a byproduct of the Rockies playing a day game after a night game. Though his playing time has been mostly sporadic this season, Stallings has performed well at the dish when called upon; he'll take a .770 OPS into Wednesday's contest.

Schunk is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Schunk had made starts on the left side of the infield over the past three games, going 2-for-11 with a double, a walk and a run. His first start came Sunday while Ezequiel Tovar sat out due to an illness, while Schunk filled in for Ryan McMahon at third base Monday and Tuesday while McMahon tended to a jammed finger. Both McMahon and Tovar are healthy again and part of the lineup Wednesday, so Schunk will move back into a utility role.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Bellinger (finger) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's upcoming six-game road trip that begins Friday in Kansas City, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Bellinger will do some hitting and throwing on the field Wednesday, and depending on how he checks out following those activities, he might not require a rehab assignment before returning. He's been shelved since mid-July with a fractured left middle finger. Bellinger could wind up being a trade chip next week if the Cubs view themselves as sellers, and he looks he'll have a good shot to play in some games prior to Tuesday's deadline.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Red Sox.

Right-hander Nick Pivetta is on the bump for Boston, but the left-handed-hitting Blackmon nonetheless finds himself on the bench for a day game after a night game. Kris Bryant will occupy the designated hitter spot and Jake Cave will patrol right field Wednesday while Blackmon sits.