MLB Player News

The Rangers announced Wednesday that Higashioka (forearm) began throwing out to 60 feet, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

After being placed on the 10-day injured list July 21 due to a right flexor strain, Higashioka was shut down from throwing for nearly three weeks before being cleared to start ramping back up when Aug. 11 imaging on his forearm revealed improved healing. Assuming his initial throwing went well, Higashioka could start throwing to bases at some point this week. The veteran backstop will need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated and is likely at least a couple weeks away from rejoining the Rangers.

Rustchman is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Miami.

The Red Sox have been careful not to overwork Rutschman since he came off the injured list, as this will be his fourth day off in the last two weeks. Connor Wong will do the catching and will bat ninth for Boston.

Raleigh went 3-for-3 with three home runs, a walk and four total RBI in a 9-2 victory over Philadelphia on Monday.

It's been a miserable season for last year's runner-up in AL MVP voting, but for one game at least, he looked like the Big Dumper of old. Raleigh connected for a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo shot in each of the fifth and seventh frames. It was the first three-homer game of Raleigh's career and his first multi-homer effort this season. Raleigh is still stuck on an ugly .167/.282/.336 slash line overall, and his 17 long balls leave him far off the pace of reaching 30 homers for a fourth straight campaign. However, he still has a chance to make an impact down the stretch with Seattle currently three games out of a wild-card spot.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-2 win over the Angels on Monday.

Hedges provided the winning margin with his two-run blast to center field in the sixth inning. The long ball was his first in exactly a month, and the two RBI matched the amount he produced over 14 contests during the homer drought. While Hedges hadn't been producing much of late, he's still had a good season overall -- with a .270 batting average, he's on pace to finish over the Mendoza Line for the first time since 2018, and his .735 OPS is on track to be the highest mark of his 12-year MLB career.

Thaiss signed a minor-league contract with the Astros on July 24.

Thaiss was cut loose by the Red Sox in mid July, and he was brought in on a minor-league deal shortly after. He then missed a 10-day stretch in August while on the temporarily inactive list, but he returned to the team Tuesday. He's appeared in two games since for Triple-A Sugar Land (0-for-7 with two strikeouts).

Jansen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Since coming off the 60-day injured list last Tuesday, Jansen has yet to start consecutive games behind the plate. Jansen -- who has posted a career-worst .548 OPS over 152 plate appearances on the season -- looks like he could be part of a three-headed timeshare at catcher with Elias Diaz and Logan O'Hoppe.

The Athletics announced Monday that Langeliers (knee) has begun hitting and throwing progressions, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Langeliers is four weeks removed from undergoing a meniscectomy for his right knee. The Athletics haven't ruled out a late-season return for the All-Star catcher, but even in a best-case scenario, he would likely make it back for only a handful of games. Langeliers has clubbed 23 home runs while collecting an .829 OPS across 93 contests this season.

Diaz will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game versus the White Sox.

Diaz is earning a second start in a row after homering in Sunday's win over the Angels. It's the first time since Danny Jansen returned from the injured list last week that either he or Diaz has started two straight tilts. Logan O'Hoppe is also on the Rangers' active roster, and the club could continue to rotate the three players in the catcher spot.

Hicks is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays will keep Hicks on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Nick Fortes will spell Hicks behind the plate and will bat seventh.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

With lefty Framber Valdez on the hill for the Tigers, the Rays will send the left-handed-hitting Liam Hicks to the bench to open up a start for Fortes behind the plate. So long as Hicks is healthy, Fortes is likely to see the bulk of his playing time versus lefties, against whom he's slashing .254/.321/.339 across 133 plate appearances on the season.