MLB Player News

Johnson is starting in center field and batting eighth against the Nationals on Sunday.

Johnson wasn't in San Diego's original lineup, but he's now picking up a start in center field, as Jackson Merrill was scratched due to an illness. This will be the third start for Johnson over San Diego's past eight contests, and he's posted a .304/.360/.391 slash line with no homers, two RBI and two steals over 22 games this season.

Merrill was removed from the starting lineup Sunday versus Washington because of an illness.

Merrill was initially set to start in center field and bat fifth, but he was a late scratch in favor of Bryce Johnson. The Padres haven't revealed whether Merrill will be available off the bench.

Hill is not in Sunday's lineup against Kansas City due to a minor finger injury, Nate Karzmer of Fish on First reports.

According to manager Clayton McCullough, Hill picked up the injury in the batting cage Saturday. However, it doesn't seem like the outfielder is dealing with a significant issue, as he's available off the bench Sunday. Hill has been working as Miami's fourth outfielder, and his last start came July 12, two games prior to the All-Star break.

Pham isn't in the starting lineup for Sunday's matchup against the White Sox.

Pham started in left field in Pittsburgh's first two games of the second half, going 1-for-9. Jack Suwinski will handle left field for the series finale versus Chicago.

Fraley is not in Sunday's starting lineup against the Mets.

For the second time in three days, Fraley is beginning on the bench against a left-handed starter (David Peterson). In Fraley's stead, Noelvi Marte is making his first career appearance in right field.

Happ went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Red Sox.

Happ hit his 13th home run of the season and first since June 25 in the eighth inning against Boston reliever Chris Murphy. While the veteran outfielder had been mired in a slump since the beginning of June, he is now riding a modest four-game hitting streak, which includes hits in Chicago's first two contests coming out of the All-Star break. Happ's track record suggests he's capable of a second-half surge.

Fraley started in right field and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Mets.

Fraley fueled a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit when he led off the third inning with a double and scored the Reds' first run. He later singled in the go-ahead run. This was Fraley's first start since coming off the injured list prior to the All-Star break, as Saturday was the first time Cincinnati faced a right-handed starter. He's expected to eventually undergo shoulder surgery to repair a partially torn labrum but will attempt to play through the injury the rest of the year. That may change if the Reds fall out of the hunt for the postseason, but they've won two consecutive games coming out of the break and are 1.5 games out of the final wild-card slot in the National League.

Tucker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Red Sox.

After Michael Busch started the game for Chicago with his 20th home run of the season, Tucker went deep a batter later, giving him 18 long balls. The talented outfielder had been in a bit of a power slump, as this was his first home run since June 28, and he's batted just .222 with a .632 OPS in 15 games following that last homer. Despite the dip in production, Tucker is still batting .281 overall with a robust .889 OPS, and he's also swiped 22 bases to give him well-rounded fantasy value.

Carroll went 3-for-5 with two triples, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-1 win over St. Louis.

Carroll got the Diamondbacks off to a quick start with a leadoff triple and scored the first of their 10 runs. The two triples increased his season total to a league-leading 12, and the three extra-base hits bumped his slugging percentage to .559 (eighth in MLB).

Perkins went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 8-7 win over the Dodgers.

Perkins was called up Friday to provide outfield depth while Sal Frelick (hamstring) is out. Perkins went 1-for-1 off the bench Friday before getting the start in center field for Saturday's contest. The 28-year-old outfielder will be a decent source of speed if he can carve out consistent playing time -- he had 23 steals over 121 games a year ago. For now, he slots in as a switch-hitting option who can play all three outfield spots, but that may not lead to an everyday role immediately.