MLB Player News

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

After producing a 1.065 OPS in 11 games since returning to the lineup following an illness, McCarthy will get a well-deserved afternoon off. The left-handed hitter will duck out of the starting nine while the Twins send Connor Prielipp to the bump for the series finale.

Shaw is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Shaw will head to the bench after he started in the first two games of the series and went 1-for-4 with two walks and two runs. Michael Conforto will replace Shaw in right field and bat seventh.

Mesa will start in right field and bat cleanup Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Though he appeared to be at risk of seeing a steep reduction in playing time after Jonny DeLuca returned from the injured list June 19, Mesa seems to be holding steady as a strong-side platoon player in the Tampa Bay outfield. Mesa will be included in the starting nine for a fourth straight matchup versus a right-hander (Merrill Kelly) after going 3-for-10 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs in the previous three contests.

DeLuca is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

DeLuca will hit the bench for the third time in the Rays' last four matchups with right-handed starting pitchers. Though he should remain locked into a prominent spot in the lineup versus lefties, DeLuca looks like he's slipping into a short-side platoon role, with Victor Mesa getting more work against righties.

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

Kepler will get a breather for the series finale after he started in left field Friday and Saturday following his reinstatement from an 80-game suspension. Lourdes Gurriel will start in left field Sunday, but Kepler appears likely to get a long look as a strong-side platoon player.

Rincones is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

The Mets are going with a left-handed opening pitcher (Cionel Perez) in the series finale, so the left-handed-hitting Rincones will cede his spot in the outfield to the right-handed-hitting Derek Hill. Since being promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 12, Rincones has hit .118 with one home run and a 0:9 BB:K over 34 plate appearances while mainly being used in the strong side of a platoon in right field.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers due to a sore foot, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Smith fouled a ball off his foot during Saturday's 8-6 win, so the Astros will give him a day out of the lineup to recuperate. Espada didn't seem overly concerned about Smith's foot, noting that the 23-year-old outfielder should be available off the bench, if needed.

Ewing is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The rookie center fielder has regularly started against left-handed pitching since getting called up by the Mets in mid-May, but he'll receive a day off Sunday versus Jesus Luzardo. Ewing started the previous seven contests and went 8-for-24 with four walks, a double and a homer during that span.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Cruz (hand) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point in July, most likely after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The timeline laid out by Cherington isn't an unexpected one, after the GM had previously said June 14 that Cruz was likely to need 4-to-6 weeks to recover from non-displaced fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures in his left hand. Cruz has made positive strides in his recovery over the past two weeks and is scheduled to report to the Pirates' facility in Florida this week to accelerate his baseball activities.

Schneemann is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Schneemann will head to the bench for a second straight matchup against a right-handed starting pitcher (Logan Gilbert). Though he had been one of the most productive hitters in the Cleveland lineup through the first month of the season, Schneemann has fallen into an extended slump at the plate and owns a .402 OPS through 19 games in June. Even with injuries to Jose Ramirez (hand) and Angel Martinez (foot) opening up lineup spots at third base and in the outfield, Schneemann could have to settle for a part-time role until his bat warms back up.