MLB Player News

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

Happ will hit the bench for a second straight day in a move manager Craig Counsell is labeling a "mental breather," according to Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com. Counsell said that he plans to include Happ in the lineup Monday in Pittsburgh, though the 31-year-old could end up slotting lower in the batting order than usual after going just 1-for-24 with two walks and 14 strikeouts over his last six games.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

The Phillies are opting to give the Crawford the afternoon off against tough lefty Parker Messick. Brandon Marsh will slide over from his usual spot in left field to cover center in place of Crawford.

Mitchell (back) is starting in center field and batting sixth against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Mitchell missed the Brewers' last two games due to back tightness, but he has been cleared to return to the lineup for Sunday's series finale. He went 5-for-15 with one steal, one home run and two RBI in the five games prior to his back issue.

Dunn batted leadoff and went 2-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against St. Louis.

After batting seventh in the matinee and going 1-for-3, Dunn played hero in extra innings in the nightcap. He made a sliding catch in the top of the 11th to save a run, and then walked off the Cardinals in the bottom of the inning when his fielder's choice against five infielders plated the winning run. He was getting his first crack at leading off for the Reds, who have been cycling through several players since TJ Friedl was removed from those duties. Prior to Saturday's second game, Matt McLain, Will Benson and JJ Bleday had all been deployed atop the order of late. Dunn has hit safely in six consecutive starts, going 10-for-23 with two extra-base hits and one RBI during that stretch.

Garcia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Garcia will head to the bench for the series finale while the Pirates go with Oneil Cruz at designated hitter and Bryan Reynolds, Jake Mangum and Esmerlyn Valdez in the outfield from left to right. Before being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 18, Garcia had missed time earlier this month due to a back issue, prompting manager Don Kelly to note that the Pirates don't want to overextend the young outfielder too much until the back injury is further behind him, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Nonetheless, Garcia is off to a solid start since his promotion, going 5-for-16 with a walk while starting four of the last six games.

Mangum will start in center field and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Since returning from the injured list last Sunday, Mangum has drawn starts in five of the last seven games. The Pirates recently called up Jhostynxon Garcia and Esmerlyn Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis to fortify their outfield while Ryan O'Hearn (quadriceps) is on the shelf, but Mangum could still have a path to at least a semi-regular role if Oneil Cruz continues to make more of his starts at designated hitter in place of the struggling Marcell Ozuna rather than in center field.

Tawa started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over Colorado.

Tawa took over left field in Arizona's first game without Lourdes Gurriel (hamstring), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday. In the wake of the injury, Tawa and Jorge Barrosa were considered as the likely fill-ins, but the Diamondbacks promoted prospect Tommy Troy. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo suggested that Troy will get a long look while Gurriel is out, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Johnston went 2-for-3 with a walk, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Johnston had gone 29 games without a steal entering this contest. He's gone even longer (39 games) without a home run, but he's hit consistently enough to stay in the Rockies' lineup, primarily as a strong-side platoon option in the corner-outfield spots. On the year, he's hitting .323 with an .827 OPS, two homers, two steals, 23 RBI, 19 runs scored and 13 doubles across 48 contests.

Merrill (ribs) went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Athletics.

Merrill missed one game while recovering from a collision with the outfield wall he sustained in Wednesday's game versus the Dodgers. He had one of the Padres' two hits Saturday and also picked up his 10th steal of the season, which was his second in his last four games. The outfielder's speed rebounding is a positive sign after he stole just one base on three attempts in the 2025 regular season. It's about the only thing that's going right for him this year -- he's batting .206 with a .606 OPS, four home runs, 19 RBI, 24 runs scored and 10 doubles over 48 contests.

Torres went 3-for-8 with a home run, two walks and two RBI across both games of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Making his major-league debut at 28 years old in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Torres launched a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. He slashed .336/.454/.477 with two homers, 16 RBI, 24 runs scored and 10 steals across 166 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis this season and should see consistent playing time with Nathan Church (shoulder) on the injured list.