MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Diaz is being treated as "day-to-day" as the Dodgers look to determine why the reliever's velocity has been down to begin the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Over his first six appearances of the season, Diaz is averaging 95.8 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball. While that's a notable decline from the 97.2 mph he averaged during 2025 with the Mets, Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that Diaz's velocity in past years has typically been down in the spring before picking up as the season progresses. Diaz has more or less acknowledged as much, and he hasn't indicated to the Dodgers that he's been pitching through any sort of physical concern. That being said, Roberts told Chen that he plans to "tread lightly" with Diaz's usage in the short term, so the right-hander won't necessarily be called upon for every save situation that arises. Despite the drop in velocity, Diaz was able to convert his first four save chances of the season before getting touched up for three earned runs on four hits and one walk over an inning during his most recent appearance Friday against the Rangers.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Hernandez started the previous six games and continued his hot start to 2026 with three homers and a 1.042 OPS during that span. Alex Call is receiving the start in center field Sunday, batting eighth.

Call will start in left field and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Call will enter the starting nine for just the third time all season, replacing a resting Teoscar Hernandez in the series finale. Though Call has made the most of his limited opportunities by going 4-for-9 with a pair of doubles, three walks, four runs and an RBI so far this season, he's unlikely to see an uptick in playing time so long as all of Hernandez, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker are all available to play the outfield.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

After starting behind the plate in each of the past four games, Smith will get a chance to catch his breath while the Dodgers wrap up their series with Texas. Dalton Rushing will get the nod at catcher and will bat eighth.

Allen will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Mariners, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

With Jeremy Pena sitting out Sunday after exiting Saturday's 8-7 loss due to right knee tightness, Allen will enter the starting nine for just the second time all season. Allen is regarded as a slick fielder in the middle infield, but he's a career .214/.266/.272 hitter over 391 big-league regular-season games and won't carry much fantasy appeal if Pena winds up landing on the injured list.

Walker (leg) will start at first base and batting cleanup Sunday against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Walker was held out of the starting nine for Saturday's 8-7 loss after he was spotted taking part in pregame exercises to test out his leg, though the Astros never officially announced that he was dealing with an injury. The veteran first baseman's return to the lineup for Sunday's series finale indicates that the issue was a minor concern. After a disappointing first season in Houston in 2025, Walker has started 2026 strong with three home runs and a .986 OPS through 15 games.

Pena (knee) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old shortstop departed Saturday's 8-7 loss due to right posterior knee tightness. According to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, manager Joe Espada said Sunday that he didn't have an update available for Pena, who should be considered day-to-day as he continues to be evaluated. Nick Allen will step in at shortstop Sunday for the Astros.

Correa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Though Correa returned from a recent two-game absence due to an illness and proceeded to go 4-for-9 with a double and three runs, manager Joe Espada indicated that the veteran infielder isn't yet 100 percent, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. The expectation is that Correa will be back in the lineup for Monday's series finale.

Donovan (illness) will start at third base and bat leadoff Sunday against the Astros.

Donovan has been out of the lineup since Wednesday due to the illness, though he also made an appearance off the bench in Saturday's 8-7 win, drawing a walk as a pinch hitter. The 29-year-old's Mariners career is off to a scorching start, as he has three home runs and a 1.040 OPS though 46 plate appearances.

Busch is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Matt Shaw will step in at first base in place of Busch, who will hit the bench after 14 consecutive starts to open the season. Though the Cubs often shielded him from left-handed pitching over the previous two seasons, Busch is expected to continue starting against southpaws more often than not in 2026. His move to the bench comes while Busch has been mired in an 0-for-30 slump at the dish that has dropped his season average to .118.