Leody Taveras was held out of the Rangers' starting lineup on Sunday afternoon due to a bruised knee.
Taveras sustained the injury on a slide during Saturday's game. The issue is believed to be minor and shouldn't require a trip to the injured list. Expect him to return to game action early next week. The 24-year-old has quietly done a very nice job for the Rangers this season -- slashing .306/.360/.452 with three homers, 23 RBI and five stolen bases in 44 games.
Nester Cortes will not make his scheduled start against the White Sox on Wednesday.
Cortes showed his best velocity of the season in a bounce-back start on Tuesday but will have his next start skipped. He was expected to face the White Sox at home on Wednesday. The team should announce a reason soon. Stay tuned.
Christian Walker is not in the Diamondback starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Braves.
Walker was absent from Saturday's start, and it appeared to be a rest day. However, the 32-year-old finds himself on the bench again and could be dealing with a minor injury or illness. Fantasy managers should expect an update on his status after Sunday's game.
Penn Murfee (elbow) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday at Triple-A Tacoma.
Murfee has been on the shelf since early May with right elbow inflammation. It sounds like he will need a couple of appearances before rejoining the Mariners' bullpen in the middle of June.
Mike Yastrzemski (side) is not in the Giants' starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters that Yastrzemski has been dealing with tightness in his right side. The team does not think a trip to the IL is needed, and he should be ready to go when the Giants begin a three-game series against the Rockies in Coors Field on Tuesday.
Gabriel Moreno is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup for Sunday's finale against the Braves.
It appears to be a day of rest for the 23-year-old backstop. Moreno is hitting .284/.321/.372 with two homers and 21 RBI across 162 plate appearances and Jose Herrera will handle the catching duties in his absence.
Cody Bellinger (knee) told reporters he has made encouraging strides but is not expected to rejoin the Cubs during their West Coast trip next week.
Bellinger landed on the injured list on May 19 and has slowly progressed to running the bases. He is still undecided if he will need a rehab assignment before being activated but don't be surprised if he needs a game or two before rejoining the active roster.
Tarik Skubal threw two innings of one-hit ball in a rehab start at High-A West Michigan.
Skubal needed just five pitches to get out of the first inning on Sunday. He gave up one grounder up the middle before enticing a double play to end the inning. He threw 12 pitches, ten of them for strikes, and his fastball sat 96 mph. He will likely need a few more starts before he is ready to return to the Tigers rotation, but Sunday's start was encouraging.
Brad Boxberger (forearm) threw long toss on Saturday and is expected to be re-evaluated Monday.
Boxberger landed on the injured list with a right forearm strain on May 15 and has only resumed throwing. The 35-year-old may return to the Cubs bullpen in June, but that is if he does not have a setback in his rehab.
David Bednar allowed one hit and struck out one batter to record his 13th save on Sunday.
Bednar threw 17 and 14 pitches on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and was surprisingly called upon again on Sunday. He threw 11 pitches -- nine strikes -- and collected his third save in as many days on Sunday. The Pirates begin a three-game series against the A's on Monday, and it will likely be Colin Holderman's chance at the save if the opportunity presents itself, of course.
White Sox release INF Hanser Alberto.
Hanser Alberto hit .220/.261/.390 with the White Sox this season but will look to land with another team after parting ways with Chicago on Sunday.
Ji Hwan Bae went 2-for-4 with two RBI in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Ji Hwan Bae and the Pirates jumped all over Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas in the first inning on Sunday. After back-to-back hits from Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski, Bae smacked a ball into center, which allowed both runners to score. The 23-year-old is hitting .274/.325/.363 with 14 RBI, two homers, and 17 stolen bases across 172 plate appearances.
Miles Mikolas yielded two runs on ten hits while striking out two in a loss to the Pirates Sunday.
Mikolas allowed two singles to Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski in the first inning before Bae roped a single in center field, allowing both runners to score. While those we the only runs on his ledger, he wasn’t fooling anyone on Sunday and scattered ten hits before being lifted after the fifth inning. He generated four swinging strikes on 91 pitches thrown, posting a poor 21 percent CSW. He will face the Reds at home on Saturday.
Rich Hill allowed four hits and struck out six in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
The only damage to Hill's back of the baseball card stats was a solo homer to Andrew Knizner in the seventh inning on Sunday. The 43-year-old generated eight swinging strikes on 96 pitches while registering a 29 percent CSW as the Pirates swept the Cardinals. He will carry a 4.41 ERA into a home matchup against the Mets on Saturday.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters that Thairo Estrada is expected to rejoin the team in Denver.
The Giants begin a three-game series against the Rockies on Tuesday and the 27-year-old is expected to be activated on Tuesday. Estrada was hitting .301/.345/.466 with six homers and 13 stolen bases before landing on the injured list with a left wrist sprain.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters that Joc Pederson (hand) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list in Denver.
Pederson has been on the shelf with a right hand contusion since May 13 and looks poised to rejoin the Giants before starting a three-game series against the Rockies in Coors Field. The 31-year-old slugger hit .235/.351/.494 with five homers and 18 RBI before the injury.
Luken Baker went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut against the Pirates on Sunday.
The 26-year-old picked up two of the Cardinals' five hits on Sunday in his major league debut. It is still up in the air how the Cardinals will use the slugger, as he is limited defensively. If he gets regular playing time, he would be an excellent pickup for fantasy managers looking for a power boost, but that doesn't appear in the cards for him at this time.
Sean Murphy is not in the Braves' starting lineup for Sunday's finale against the Diamondbacks
Murphy has been sitting every two to three games so Travis d'Arnaud can get into the starting lineup. The situation is less than ideal for fantasy managers but one that could easily change with an injury or underperformance from Marcell Ozuna.
Michael Conforto (heel) remains out of the Giants' lineup for Sunday's showdown against the Orioles.
It will be Conforto's fourth game in a row that he has missed with a left heel bruise. The injury didn't appear to be serious at the time, but he could land on the injured list if he misses any more time. Mitch Haniger will handle right-field duties and bat fifth in his absence.
Gunnar Henderson (back) is not in the Orioles' starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Giants.
Henderson was removed from Saturday night's game with lower back discomfort and will get another day off Sunday. The team is being extra cautious with their young third baseman, and he is not expected to land on the injured list. Josh Lester will play third base and seventh in place on Sunday.