MLB Player News
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Dominic Smith DH | ATL
Braves' Dominic Smith: Idle against southpaw
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Smith will sit for the third time in four games, with all three of his absences coming against left-handed pitching. Drake Baldwin will get a day off from catching Sunday but will stick in the lineup at designated hitter.
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Jorge Mateo 2B | TB
Braves' Jorge Mateo: Sitting after three straight starts
Mateo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Mateo will head back to the bench after he had started at shortstop in three straight games, going 1-for-7 with a run scored. Though Atlanta will replace Mateo in the lineup with Ha-Seong Kim on Sunday, both players could find playing time at shortstop more difficult to come by when the team faces right-handed pitching. Mauricio Dubon may be the top choice to cover shortstop on those occasions, which will allow Mike Yastrzemski and Eli White to serve as Atlanta's primary options at the corner outfield spots while Ronald Acuna (hamstring) remains on the shelf.
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Wandy Peralta RP | SD
Padres' Wandy Peralta: Opening again Sunday
Peralta will start Sunday's game against the Rangers as an opener.
The left-hander fired a scoreless frame as an opener Monday against the Cardinals and will be called upon to fill that role in front of Lucas Giolito again Sunday. Peralta has a 1.96 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 24:18 K:BB over 36.2 innings.
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Joseph Ortiz SS | MIL
Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Back to bench with righty starting
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Ortiz had started at third base in each of the last three games while the Brewers went up against lefties, but he'll hit the bench Sunday while right-hander Bryce Elder toes the rubber for Atlanta. The 27-year-old looks as though he'll have to settle for the short side of a platoon with David Hamilton following the recent promotion of shortstop Cooper Pratt from Triple-A Nashville.
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Lucas Giolito SP | SD
Padres' Lucas Giolito: Likely to follow opener
Giolito won't start Sunday's game against the Rangers but could work behind opening pitcher Wandy Peralta.
The Padres haven't made anything official regarding who will pitch after Peralta, but Giolito is a logical bet to work in bulk relief, given that he followed an opener in his previous outing back on Monday. The veteran right-hander hasn't exactly been reliable in six appearances for San Diego, as he has a 4.56 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 16:21 K:BB over 25.2 innings.
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Matt McLain 2B | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Heading to bench for series finale
McLain is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Spencer Steer and Edwin Arroyo will serve as the Reds' starters in the middle infield while McLain gets a breather in the series finale. McLain had started 13 straight games, slashing .233/.365/.512 with three home runs, four stolen bases, four RBI and eight runs during that stretch.
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Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Creates separation in win
Steer went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 10-2 win over the Yankees.
Steer broke open a close game in the fifth inning by taking Will Warren deep to give the Reds a 6-1 lead. It was the 12th home run of the season for Steer, who has hit a rough patch at the plate this month. He's batted just .067 (3-for-45) over the last 14 contests. There is a silver lining, however, as all three hits have left the park, and Steer's knocked in eight runs during the slump.
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Emilio Pagan RP | CIN
Reds' Emilio Pagan: Feels good following live BP
Pagan (hamstring) threw 20 pitches and used his entire repertoire in a live batting practice session Friday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Pagan faced live hitters for the first time since landing on the injured list May 6. The right-hander was pleased with his command and stuff during workout and is scheduled to throw another live BP session Monday. If all goes well Monday, Pagan could then out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
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Jose Cabrera SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jose Cabrera: MLB debut on tap
Cabrera will make his MLB debut Sunday in a start against the Twins, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
This news confirms what was speculated Saturday, when Arizona added Cabrera to its taxi squad. The Diamondbacks are in need of starters after placing Ryne Nelson (elbow) and Michael Soroka (glute) on the injured list. Cabrera features a six-pitch mix, per Diamondbacks farm director Chris Slivka, and the 6-foot-3 right-hander has improved his command and control while upping his strikeout rate from 19.8 percent in 2025 to 28.7 percent this year in 12 starts (nine at Double-A Amarillo and three for Reno).
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Brandon Pfaadt SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Brandon Pfaadt: Pitch counts climbing at Triple-A
Pfaadt allowed one unearned run on two hits and no walks while striking out four over 3.2 innings in a start for Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
Pfaadt, who was making his third start since being demoted to Triple-A, upped his pitch count to 52 (36 strikes). At the time of his demotion, the right-hander was pitching in relief and needed to be built back up as a starter. He owns a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP over 10 innings in the Pacific Coast League. With the Diamondbacks having placed two starters on the injured list over the weekend, Pfaadt is expected to eventually move into the major-league rotation once his pitch count gets up to the 75-to-80 range, per Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com.