MLB Player News

Smith is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

It's a rare day off for Smith, who had started the previous 12 contests. Zach Cole will patrol right field and bat eighth for the Astros in Smith's stead.

Manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday that Acuna (hamstring) won't be activated from the 10-day injured list during Atlanta's homestand, which runs through Sunday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

Acuna hasn't hit any snags in his recovery from the Grade 1 left hamstring strain that sent him to the IL on May 3; Atlanta is seemingly just exercising some caution in bringing the prized outfielder back from the injury. Per Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta, Weiss emphasized that Acuna has looked great during running drills and checked out fine while sprinting at a little more than 50 percent speed during a pregame workout Wednesday. Atlanta plans on re-evaluating Acuna after the homestand concludes before deciding if he'll return for the team's four-game road series in Miami next week, or if he'll perhaps head out on a brief rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Conforto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Atlanta.

Conforto will hit the bench after he had started at designated hitter in four of the Cubs' past five games while going 6-for-14 with a home run, three doubles, three walks, three runs and two RBI during that stretch. Though he's been magnificent in a part-time role this season with a 1.065 OPS over 58 plate appearances, Conforto will likely find consistent reps hard to come by while Moises Ballesteros (.804 OPS) has been productive enough as the Cubs' primary DH and has more long-term investment from the organization.

Young (knee) will begin a rehab assignment by the end of this week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It's a quick turnaround for Young, who had surgery less than a month ago to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. He will likely require a fair number of rehab at-bats in the minors, but a return around the start of June should be realistic.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Alvarez will undergo surgery to address the torn meniscus in his right knee, and the Mets are hopeful that the catcher will be able to return to action in 6-to-8 weeks, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Alvarez exited Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Tigers after twisting his knee and was placed on the 10-day IL earlier Wednesday when an MRI confirmed the meniscus tear. Mendoza said that an official timeline for Alvarez's return won't be established until surgery is performed, but the skipper's comments point to the young catcher getting a partial meniscectomy rather than a full repair, which would entail a multi-month recovery. Luis Torrens will start at catcher Wednesday against Detroit and is likely to serve as the Mets' primary backstop for however long Alvarez is shelved.

Torrens will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

With Francisco Alvarez (knee) suffering a right meniscus tear in Tuesday's win and likely to miss at least a month, Torrens is poised to step in as the Mets' new No. 1 backstop. While serving in a part-time capacity through the first seven weeks of the season, Torrens has made a limited impact at the dish, slashing just .208/.255/.292 with no home runs, no steals, eight RBI and five runs over 52 plate appearances. Even with his playing time set to increase, Torrens isn't expected to warrant much fantasy attention outside of NL-only leagues or deeper mixed leagues that start two catchers.

Turner is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Red Sox.

Turner has been in a season-long slump and is slashing only .182/.178/.227 with a 0:10 BB:K so far in May. He'll get a day to recharge the batteries while Edmundo Sosa grabs a start at shortstop.

Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Valenzuela will be getting a routine day off for the series finale after he had started in both of the Blue Jays' previous two contests. Tyler Heineman will handle catching duties for Toronto on Wednesday.

Eovaldi (side) played catch in the outfield Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Eovaldi had to be scratched from a scheduled start Monday against the Diamondbacks because of left side tightness. He's listed as day-to-day, and the fact that he's throwing again already suggests he has a chance to take his next turn through the rotation this weekend in Houston.

Horwitz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

As is usually the case, the left-handed-hitting Horwitz will be left out of the starting nine while the Pirates face a lefty starter (Jose Quintana). Jared Triolo will step in at first base in place of Horwitz, who has gone 3-for-13 (.231 average) with four walks against lefties this season.