MLB Player News

Muncy (illness) will bat eighth at the designated hitter Sunday against the Nationals.

An illness forced Muncy's removal from Saturday's starting lineup, but he is evidently feeling well enough to give it a go Sunday night against lefty Andrew Alvarez. The 36-year-old Muncy has hit 20 of his 26 homers this season against righties but has more than held his own against same-side pitching as well (.794 OPS).

Stewart went 1-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and two stolen bases in Sunday's 12-8 win over the Brewers.

Stewart drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning before adding a single and stealing second and third base in the fourth. The National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner has hit safely in eight of his past nine games, tallying three home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored and three stolen bases in that span. On the season, he's slashing .268/.338/.483 with 31 homers, 107 RBI, 80 runs scored and 15 steals across 621 plate appearances.

Ohtani (knee/biceps) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Make it four consecutive absences for the four-time MVP. Manager Dave Roberts has been leaving the door open for a possible IL stint, though Ohtani reportedly made it through his session in the batting cage Saturday without any discomfort. Ohtani's availability as a hitter for the start of the Dodgers' next series remains uncertain.

De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two walks and four RBI in Sunday's 12-8 win over the Brewers.

De La Cruz launched a two-run blast in the fourth inning before driving in two more on a double in the fifth. The superstar has now hit safely in five straight games to open September, going 10-for-20 with two homers, six RBI and five runs scored over that span. For the year, he's slashing .280/.360/.492 with 23 home runs, 66 RBI, 86 runs scored and 24 steals across 556 plate appearances.

The Astros optioned Meyers to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.

Meyers was brought up earlier in the week when rosters expanded, though he did not end up logging an at-bat during his latest stint in the majors. The 30-year-old outfielder loses his spot on the active roster to waiver acquisition Jorge Barrosa, and at this point, Meyers does not appear long for the 40-man roster.

Pagan earned the save in Sunday's 12-8 win over the Brewers, retiring the only batter he faced in the ninth inning.

Pagan entered a four-run game with two outs and runners on the corners in the ninth inning and induced a game-ending groundout to earn his 22nd save of the campaign. The veteran closer extended his streak of successful saves to 16, with his last blown save coming May 4. On the year, he's 22-for-25 in save opportunities with a 3.93 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB across 36.2 innings.

The Astros claimed Barrosa off waivers from the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Arizona booted Barrosa off its 40-man Friday, but he has found a new home with Houston and will join the big club right away with Jake Meyers optioned to Triple-A to clear a spot on the active roster. Barrosa is a switch hitter who can play all three outfield spots, but he has yet to show much offensively at the highest level (career .543 OPS).

Manager Torey Lovullo said after Sunday's game against the Astros that Perdomo (head) is not in the concussion protocol, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

A scary incident unfolded in the third inning Sunday, when a ball off the bat of teammate Ketel Marte struck Perdomo in the helmet as Perdomo was running the bases. It seems he avoided a concussion, and further, Lovullo indicated the shortstop will be in the lineup Monday in Kansas City without missing a start.

White Sox manager Will Venable said that Urquidy is available to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Bryan Hudson in Sunday's game against the Twins, Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Venable noted that every reliever except for Sean Newcomb will be available Sunday, so while Urquidy represents the best bet of the White Sox's bullpen arms to cover multiple innings in relief, the right-hander won't necessarily receive a starter's workload. Since getting called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Aug. 14, Urquidy has made five appearances (one start) for Chicago and has logged a 4.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB across 18.2 innings.

Jobe didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Guardians, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Jobe, after he gave up five runs (four earned) in a loss to Minnesota his last time out. The right-hander held Cleveland to a pair of runs Sunday while setting a season high with seven strikeouts. Overall, Jobe is 1-2 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB across six starts (28.1 innings) this season. He's currently lined up to face the Rockies at home in his next outing.