MLB Player News

Carter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

After starting in each of the last eight games, the left-handed-hitting Carter will retreat to the bench Sunday while southpaw Cade Povich toes the slab for the Orioles. Cam Cauley will replace Carter in center field and will bat ninth.

O'Neill will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup Sunday against the Rangers.

O'Neill will draw a third straight start after getting on base five times in the first two contests of the series. Since the All-Star break, O'Neill has posted a 1.026 OPS over 15 games, and his red-hot bat looks like it has earned him more opportunities against right-handed pitching.

Taveras will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Trade-deadline pickup Christian Franklin picked up starts in the outfield in the Orioles' first two games this week, but he'll hit the bench for a fourth straight contest while Taveras once again plays ahead of him. Taveras has gone just 2-for-10 with a double, a walk and a run scored over the previous three games, so he still has some work to do before solidifying himself as the Orioles' everyday right fielder.

Walls (back) will start at shortstop and bat ninth Sunday against the Mariners, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The 30-year-old was withheld from the starting nine in Saturday's 3-2 win due to lower-back tightness, but he'll rejoin the lineup for the series finale in Seattle. Walls is batting .103 (3-for-29) with four walks, three steals and 11 strikeouts in his past 12 games.

Johnston is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

The left-handed-hitting Johnston will be on the bench for the fourth time in five games and has missed out on three starts versus righties during that stretch. With Johnston producing a middling .421 OPS since the All-Star break, the Rockies have opted to rotate a number of players in and out of the lineup in his place.

Fermin will start at third base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Fermin will be included in the lineup for the sixth time in seven games, with four of those starts coming against right-handed pitching. He could be emerging as the preferred option at third base, as rookie Blaze Jordan (122 wRC+ versus lefties, 52 wRC+ versus righties) has struggled against same-handed pitching this season.

Jordan is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Jordan will head to the bench for the second time in the series and has now been excluded from the starting nine in three of the Cardinals' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers. Jose Fermin may have overtaken Jordan the team's preferred option at third base while Jordan has struggled to a .236/.250/.315 batting line (52 wRC+) in 96 plate appearances versus righties.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Encarnacion-Strand has gone 2-for-19 with seven strikeouts through seven games in August and will hit the bench Sunday for the second time in Baltimore's past three games. Coby Mayo will start at third base and bat seventh while Tyler O'Neill gets a turn at designated hitter.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Victor Caratini will receive a turn behind the dish while Jeffers rest for the series finale. Jeffers started behind the plate in the Twins' previous two contests and went 2-for-8 with a double, two walks, two runs and an RBI.

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins due to an upper-back injury and is considered day-to-day, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.

Ortiz was forced out of Saturday's 4-3 win due to the injury, but his back issue is considered less of a concern than the hamstring strain fellow infielder Cooper Pratt sustained in the same game. With the Brewers moving Pratt to the injured list Sunday, Ortiz could settle in as the primary option at shortstop once he's healthy. David Hamilton will cover shortstop Sunday while Andrew Vaughn makes his second career MLB start at third base.