MLB Player News

Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-1 loss to the White Sox.

Langeliers accounted for Oakland's only run of the afternoon, taking Noah Schultz deep in the first inning for his 21st home run of the season. The catcher has cooled off to begin July, batting 5-for-27 (.185) with a 43 percent strikeout rate through his first eight games of the month. He heads into the All-Star break slashing .257/.324/.483 on the season.

Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Astros.

Higashioka went yard in the eighth inning, tying the game at 5-5 a half-inning after the Astros had pulled ahead. Higashioka has started three of the last four games behind the dish for the Rangers, perhaps suggesting he's clawing back some playing time from Elias Diaz. Higashioka is batting .220 with a .670 OPS, seven homers, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 177 plate appearances.

Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Kirk will get a day off for the final game of the first half after starting the previous three contests and going 4-for-12 with a walk, two doubles and two RBI in that span. Brandon Valenzuela will step in behind the plate to catch right-hander Kevin Gausman on Sunday.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Diaz will head to the bench for the third time in four games while the Rangers go with Kyle Higashioka behind the dish. Though he appeared to have supplanted Higashioka as the Rangers' preferred catcher while Danny Jansen (forearm) remains on the shelf, Diaz may have faded into a timeshare after going 3-for-19 (.158 average) with a 0:4 BB:K over his last six starts.

Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

On the bench for the third time in four games, Caratini has faded back into the No. 2 role at catcher following Ryan Jeffers' recent return from the injured list. While Jeffers was on the shelf from May 19 through Thursday, Caratini produced admirably in his stead, slashing .281/.361/.491 with six home runs, 19 RBI and 15 runs over 34 games.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz started the previous three games and will sit for the first-half finale after going 3-for-11 with two doubles, a homer, two RIB and two runs during that stretch. Christian Vazquez will take over and bat ninth against Texas lefty MacKenzie Gore.

Rivero (hand) has been catching at the Angels' spring complex in Arizona, MLB.com reports.

Rivero was placed on the 10-day IL on June 10 due to a left hamate fracture. He was given an original return timeframe of approximately four weeks, but it appears he'll ultimately need a little more time than that. Rivero could still be activated shortly after the All-Star break, though it's unclear if he'll still have a spot on the big-league roster since the Angels traded for Tyler Heineman following Rivero's injury and have Travis d'Arnaud (foot) potentially returning by the end of this month as well.

D'Arnaud (foot) caught Yusei Kikuchi's bullpen session July 5 and progressed to running the bases July 10, MLB.com reports.

D'Arnaud had already been swinging a bat and throwing, but the advancement to running the bases is particularly notable because he's been dealing with right foot plantar fasciitis. If the veteran backstop continues to make steady progress, he could be activated from the 60-day IL by the end of July. In the meantime, Tyler Heineman will likely remain the backup catcher behind Logan O'Hoppe.

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

Narvaez will hit the bench for the second time in the series while Connor Wong gets the nod behind the dish. Since the start of June, Narvaez is slashing just .111/.160/.133, and that lack of offensive production could put him at risk of falling out of a timeshare with Wong and moving into a clear No. 2 role.

Rutschman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Rutschman will get a chance to rest in the Orioles' final game before the All-Star break after he had started behind the plate both of the previous two days and had been included in the lineup at catcher or designated hitter in each of the last nine contests. With Rutschman taking a seat, Samuel Basallo will handle catching duties and Taylor Ward will get a turn as the Orioles' DH.