Player Notes

Ronny Cedeno was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to a sinus infection.
Advice: He should be OK in a day or two. Marwin Gonzalez is taking Cedeno's spot at shortstop.
More: Brian T. Smith on Twitter

Willie Bloomquist (oblique) could begin a rehab assignment midway through the week.
Advice: Bloomquist has been playing games at extended spring training and hasn't had any recent setbacks. He should be ready for activation before the end of the month.
More: Arizona Republic

John McDonald (back) is also dealing with a right elbow injury.
Advice: McDonald landed on the DL last week with a lower back strain, but his elbow has also been an issue. The infielder is eligible to return from the DL on May 30, but it's not clear if he'll be ready at that time.
More: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Troy Tulowitzki does roughly two hours of pregame and postgame maintenance on his left leg every day.
Advice: The maintenance includes massages and strengthening exercises before the game and sitting in the ice tub and a routine with exercise bands after the game. Tulo admits that his nagging left groin ailment leaves him "not capable" of playing every day. The injury bothers the shortstop most when he's running, particularly when he lunges to first base and sometimes when he breaks out of the batter's box. The Rockies are doing their best to manage the condition, and assistant general manager Bill Geivett admits that the club is "being overly cautious." Tulo has started 34 of the team's first 42 games and will probably continue to play at a similar pace. He's been awfully productive, hitting .341/.413/.605 with eight homers and 35 RBI, but obviously the groin issue remains a long-term concern.
More: Denver Post

Jed Lowrie went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice-fly RBI in Saturday's victory against Kansas City.
Advice: Lowrie pounded the ball in April, batting .333 with a .938 OPS and 15 RBI in 102 plate appearances. The 29-year-old suffered a strained neck at the end of the month and hasn't been the same since, batting .232/.328/.286 with no homers, four RBI and one run scored over 56 May plate appearances. It's possible that the oft-injured infielder is trying to play through a malady that would be better treated by rest.

Luis Cruz is nursing a sore throwing elbow.
Advice: He could be placed on the disabled list, as Mark Ellis (quad) is ready to be activated. Cruz is hitting a pathetic .096/.118/.096 this season and has seen his playing time dwindle of late.
More: Ken Gurnick on Twitter

Maicer Izturis went 1-for-4 with a single in Saturday's loss to the Yankees.
Advice: Izturis isn't walking or making contact this season, and you already know his swing is punchless. Toronto was hoping for more than a .218/.242/.331 slash line when they signed Izturis from the Angels over the winter to a three-year, $9 million deal and the Jays recently sat him in three of four games.

Ian Desmond is not in the Nationals' lineup Sunday.
Advice: It's a planned day off for Desmond. Danny Espinosa is covering shortstop Sunday, while Steve Lombardozzi is at second.
More: Adam Kilgore on Twitter

Jean Segura finished 3-for-4 with two RBI as the Brewers beat the Cardinals 6-4 on Saturday night.
Advice: Segura got the Brewers on the board with a two-run triple in the top of the third inning and also slapped two singles. He has an incredible .361/.404/.582 slash line through 170 plate appearances this season.

Adam Rosales hit a go-ahead homer off James Shields in the eighth in Oakland's 2-1 defeat of Kansas City on Friday.
Advice: The A's had been going with Eric Sogard against righties and Rosales against lefties, but Rosales drew the assignment against Shields tonight and came through with the big blast. As poorly as Sogard has hit, the A's will probably go with Rosales regularly for now.

Marco Scutaro went 3-for-5 with an RBI single and a run scored Friday against the Rockies.
Advice: Ho-hum, just another multi-hit night for the hottest hitter in the game. Scutaro now has a 16-game hitting streak and has raised his batting average from .215 to .327 in the process. The 37-year-old is not going to provide much in the way of pop or speed, but keep running him out there in all formats until he cools down.

Erick Aybar went 0-for-4 in Friday's loss and is just 11-for-51 this month.
Advice: That .216 average is also his on-base percentage for the month, since his one walk this season came on April 30. He's also 0-for-1 stealing bases this month. Aybar is only back in the leadoff spot because Peter Bourjos is hurt. He'll probably be dropped to seventh or lower once Bourjos is activated.

Yankees designated INF Alberto Gonzalez for assignment.
Advice: Gonzalez was DFA'd to make room for Reid Brignac on the active roster. He should pass through waivers and continue to serve as organizational infield depth. Brignac is not expected to arrive in time for Saturday's game.