MLB Player News

Matthews was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the second inning Sunday following a collision with the center-field wall while pursuing a flyball in the bottom of the first, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With two outs in the inning, Matthews was unable to corral a Josh Jung deep fly, which ultimately fell in for a triple after Matthews' back and head collided with the outfield wall. Matthews was able to make the relay throw into the infield and remained in the game while Houston recorded the final out of the frame, but he was pulled from the contest before his first turn in the batting order came up. Taylor Trammell pinch hit for Matthews and will presumably cover center field for the remainder of the contest. The Astros should provide further word on the nature of Matthews' injury later Sunday.

Osuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Osuna will remain on the bench for a third straight game. After filling the strong side of a platoon in the outfield for the better part of the last month, Osuna looks like he'll be stuck in a reserve role after Wyatt Langford returned from the injured list Thursday.

Matthews will start in center field and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Matthews will cover center field for the fifth time in six games, with two of his starts during that stretch coming against right-handed pitchers. He had previously been handling a short-side platoon role, but Matthews looks like he's supplanted the struggling Taylor Trammell as the preferred option in center.

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

On the bench for the fifth time in six games, Trammell looks to have ceded his role as the Astros' primary center field to Brice Matthews. Dating back to June 13, Trammell has produced a weak .128/.190/.359 slash line while striking out at a 31 percent clip over 18 games.

Roden will start in right field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Angels.

Roden was left out of the lineup for Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Guardians after being called up from Triple-A St. Paul that day, but he's picked up starts in each of the Twins' ensuing five games. He's thus far gone 3-for-11 with two walks and three RBI while slotting between the sixth and eighth spots in the lineup. Roden should get the chance to play regularly against right-handed pitching while Byron Buxton (hip) is on the shelf.

Meckler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Meckler will head to the bench for the Angels' final game before the All-Star break, ending a streak of three consecutive starts in which he went 6-for-11 to boost his batting average to .307 through 42 games with the big club. Heading into the second half, Meckler may need to stay hot at the plate in order to ward off Josh Lowe for playing time, although the trade deadline could create room in the lineup for both outfielders.

Cortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Cortes will be left on the bench for the third time in four games, with two absences coming against lefty starters and one coming against a righty. After a rough June, Cortes has rebounded to begin July, recording six hits in 18 at-bats to go with a 1:4 BB:K over six games. He should have a pathway to at least a part-time role against right-handed pitching after the Athletics recently sent two key everyday players in Nick Kurtz (thumb) and Zack Gelof (knee) to the injured list.

Soderstrom is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Soderstrom will be held out of the lineup against southpaw Noah Schultz after going 1-for-6 with a solo home run and a walk while starting the first two games in Chicago. Colby Thomas will spell Soderstrom in left field and bat fifth Sunday.

Raley is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

With southpaw Ian Seymour on the bump for the Rays, the left-handed-hitting Raley will take a seat for the first time since June 30. Weston Wilson will get the nod in right field in place of Raley, who went 5-for-30 with a 0:11 BB:K while starting the Mariners' first nine games of the month.

Schneemann is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Schneemann will hit the bench against another right-handed starting pitcher in Tyler Phillips. The Guardians have openings in the everyday lineup while Jose Ramirez (hand) and Angel Martinez (foot) are on the IL, but Schneemann hasn't done much to claim one, slashing .161/.198/.253 with a 29.7 percent strikeout rate since the start of June. Gabriel Arias appears to have gained traction at third base, and over the last two games, Petey Halpin has drawn starts over Schneemann in the outfield alongside Steven Kwan and Kahlil Watson.