MLB Player News

Alvarez is out of the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Alvarez was never likely to be behind the plate for both games of Sunday's twin bill, and he'll sit for the matinee after a run of four straight starts. Luis Torrens is doing the catching for Nolan McLean in the opener.

The Reds optioned Higgins to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

The 32-year-old has been up in the big leagues the past few weeks, but he'll return to Triple-A with Jose Trevino (back) coming off the IL on Sunday. Higgins played six games and went 2-for-10 with one walk and one RBI.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.

Stephenson started the first two games of the series against Detroit and will receive Sunday off after going 1-for-6 with two walks, a double, an RBI and four strikeouts. Jose Trevino (back) will start behind the plate in his return from the injured list.

Jimenez (hand) started at designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Giants.

Jimenez was lifted from Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals shortly after being hit on the left hand by a pitch in the second inning, but X-rays came back negative. The 25-year-old felt well enough to enter the lineup Saturday against southpaw Robbie Ray. Jimenez is likely to see limited action while the Marlins' infield is mostly healthy.

Ballesteros went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Ballesteros continued his strong start to the season, as he's now batting .397 with a 1.136 OPS and four home runs through 24 games. The 22-year-old has emerged as Chicago's top DH option due to his strong offensive production, though the team is still rotating other players into that spot, particularly when facing left-handed starters.

Amaya went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Amaya lifted his second home run of the season in the fifth inning against Roki Sasaki. This was the catcher's 18th appearance of the year through 27 team games, while Carson Kelly has played in 21 contests so far. Kelly has also been a bit better offensively with a .900 OPS compared to a .728 OPS for Amaya, so it doesn't appear as if their playing time split will change any time soon.

Hinds is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.

Hinds has gone 4-for-28 with 14 strikeouts in his first eight games of the season and finds himself on the bench Sunday for the third time in Cincinnati's past four contests. The 25-year-old may not have much more time to get his bat on track before potentially heading back to the minors. JJ Bleday is picking up a start in the outfield Sunday for the Reds.

The Reds reinstated Trevino (back) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, and he's starting behind the plate and batting eighth against the Tigers.

The 33-year-old has been sidelined for about three weeks due to a back strain, but he's back on the active roster after going 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs in one rehab game with High-A Dayton. Trevino went 1-for-11 with a walk in three games prior to going down with the injury. Now that he's healthy, he should operate as the backup catcher to Tyler Stephenson.

Assad surrendered six earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters across 2.1 innings of relief in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Assad made his second consecutive appearance out of the bullpen, after he had started in each of his first three outings of the season and yielded 10 earned runs over 15.2 innings. Following Matthew Boyd's recent return from the injured list, the Cubs opted to keep Colin Rea in the rotation over Assad as their fifth starter, but Assad ended up being thrust into action Saturday in long relief of Rea, who was chased midway through the fourth inning. Assad didn't fare any better while mopping up behind Rea and now holds a 7.58 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB across 19 innings on the campaign.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with two walks, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-2 win over Detroit.

De La Cruz's blast in the second inning extended Cincinnati's lead to 6-1. It was his third homer in the last four contests and ninth of the season, which is tied for fourth in MLB. De La Cruz has hit safely in 22 of 27 games and has yet to go consecutive games without getting on base.