MLB Player News

The Padres are expected to place Merrill on the 7-day injured list Sunday due to a concussion, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 22-year-old suffered the head injury Saturday when he was tagged in the head on an attempted steal, and he'll be unavailable for at least the next week as he enters the concussion protocol. Brandon Lockridge will start in center field Sunday and should see a boost in playing time, along with Tyler Wade, while Merrill is sidelined.

Merrill (head) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Merrill departed Saturday's contest with an apparent head injury after being tagged in the head on a steal attempt, and he'll miss at least one start. It's unclear if the center fielder is in the concussion protocol, though manager Mike Shildt said Merrill was feeling "woozy" after Saturday's game, according to 93.7 The Fan.

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

After starting three straight games and going 3-for-11 with a triple and a walk, Collins will give way to Drew Avans in left field. With Jackson Chourio playing center field on a full-time basis since Garrett Mitchell (oblique) landed on the injured list April 26, the Brewers have taken a committee approach to left field, but Collins seems to be manager Pat Murphy's preferred option of late.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he expects Nootbaar to rejoin the lineup Tuesday versus the White Sox, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "Just meet-us-in-Chicago-type thing," Marmol said. "Take a breather and let's get back on track. He'll find his way out of this."

Before sitting Saturday and Sunday, Nootbaar had gone 1-for-27 with 15 strikeouts -- including the first two four-strikeout games of his career -- over the previous six games, all Cardinals losses. Marmol is hoping that with two days out of the lineup plus Monday's off day, Nootbaar will be ready to reclaim the starting job in left field, though it's less certain if he'll resume leadoff duties right away. Brendan Donovan (toe) will serve as the Cardinals' table setter Sunday in his own return from a four-game absence.

Stowers is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Stowers has made 10 starts against left-handed pitching this season and has an .834 OPS versus southpaws, but he'll take a seat Sunday with MacKenzie Gore on the mound for Washington. Heriberto Hernandez will start in left field and bat fifth in the series finale.

Moniak is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Though he'll take a seat against Grant Holmes in the series finale, Moniak could be gaining traction in the Rockies' lineup. The veteran outfielder had started each of Colorado's last three matchups against right-handed pitchers, going 4-for-9 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and an additional run.

Tucker is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

In what appears to be a routine rest day, Tucker will head to the bench for just the third time all season and for the first time since he missed a pair of starts June 3 and 4 while tending to a jammed right ring finger. Since making his return, Tucker is batting just .237 with one home run and one stolen base in 10 games, though he's walked at a 15.6 percent clip. With Tucker taking a seat, Seiya Suzuki will start in right field, and Justin Turner will enter the lineup at designated hitter.

Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Encarnacion lined a double to right field in the third inning and added a single off position player Enrique Hernandez in the ninth before coming around to score. The 27-year-old delivered his first multi-hit performance of the season after missing an extended period to start the year while recovering from surgery to repair a fractured left hand. Encarnacion has now logged three hits across seven games this season, slashing .143/.143/.190 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in 21 plate appearances.

Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

The Tigers are deploying a lefty opener in Tyler Holton, but right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long is slated to work in bulk relief. Benson will begin the contest on the bench but could be a candidate to replace Connor Joe in left field once Gipson-Long takes the mound.

Acuna went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and three runs scored in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Colorado.

Acuna's red-hot 2025 rolled on, as he notched his fourth consecutive multi-hit game and launched his seventh home run of the season. The 2023 National League MVP didn't make his season debut until May 23 after recovering from a torn ACL, but he's been among the league's top hitters since. The superstar is slashing .387/.471/.707 with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBI over 87 plate appearances across 20 games.