MLB Player News

Conforto is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Colorado.

The lefty-swinging Conforto homered in each of the first two games of the series, but he'll take a seat in the finale as the Rockies send southpaw Austin Gomber to the hill. Enrique Hernandez will cover left field and bat eighth as the Dodgers go for the sweep.

Nootbaar is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Nootbaar homered in each of the first two games of the series against the Cubs, but he's now been on the bench for two straight versus left-handed pitching. Brendan Donovan is playing left field and Thomas Saggese will cover second base for the Cardinals.

Hampson will start in center field and bat ninth in Thursday's game versus the Cubs.

A waiver claim earlier this week, Hampson has now started back-to-back games in center field against left-handed pitching. It appears the utility player will form the short side of a platoon at the position with Victor Scott.

Walker (abdomen) did not require surgery for his recent bout of appendicitis and was allowed to return home Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Because the appendicitis was caught early, Walker was able to treat it with antibiotics and other treatments. The avoidance of surgery could allow Walker to return sooner, perhaps when his 10 days are up or close to it. He will rest for 4-to-5 days and could go out on a short rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

Tucker went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Cardinals. He also stole a base.

Tucker showed off his tantalizing mix of power and speed, as he hit his 16th home run of the year and also recorded his 19th stolen base. In the power department, that's now three long balls over the outfielder's last five games. Tucker reached the 20-20 mark in homers and steals twice while with the Astros, and he seems poised to repeat the feat during his first season in Chicago.

Hays (foot) started in left field and went 1-for-3 for Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday.

Hays played the field for the first time on his rehab assignment and was removed after six innings. Reds manager Terry Francona told Greg Kuffner of MSN.com that Hays is doing well and could be activated ahead of Cincinnati's weekend series against San Diego.

McCarthy started in right field and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the White Sox.

McCarthy started in right field for both games since being called up from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, when Arizona placed Corbin Carroll (wrist) on the 10-day injured list. McCarthy is a potential threat to steal bases if he can get on base with any regularity. However, he wasn't productive during a stint with Arizona earlier this season, going 3-for-41 (.073) with a .170 on-base percentage. McCarthy performed well at Reno -- as he typically does -- recording 12 steals with a .401 OBP over 49 games.

Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with a home run in Wednesday's 8-5 extra-inning loss to the Marlins.

Yastrzemski hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first, marking his seventh of the season. The 34-year-old outfielder has recorded just two hits in his last four games, though both have been home runs. Yastrzemski is slashing .271/.362/.441 with 10 RBI, eight runs scored, two long balls and a 9:13 BB:K across 69 plate appearances in June.

Hernandez went 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI in an 8-5 extra-inning win against San Francisco on Wednesday.

Hernandez broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run single in the eighth inning and drove in two more runs with a double in the 10th. The four RBI were one more than he had notched over 16 games this season coming into play. Hernandez hadn't started in any of Miami's three games prior to Wednesday, but he's hit well when given the opportunity, posting a .340/.377/.480 slash line through 53 plate appearances.

Conforto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 8-1 victory versus Colorado.

Conforto has had a rough first season in Los Angeles, posting a meager .176/.302/.308 slash line through 70 games. However, he's come alive over the team's past two contests in Colorado, homering twice and going 4-for-9 with four RBI. That surge may set Conforto back on a successful track, though Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported that Los Angeles may be seeking another outfielder via trade to address Conforto's season-long struggles.