MLB Player News

Kirk went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 6-5 win over the Rangers.

With the Blue Jays down 3-0 in the seventh inning, Kirk got hold of a Robert Garcia changeup and drove it the other way for a two-run homer. After Texas struck back for two more runs in the top of the eighth, the backstop completed the comeback in the bottom of the frame with a two-run single off Phil Maton. The long ball was Kirk's eighth of the season and his first since June 19, snapping a 36-game drought, while the multi-RBI performance was his first since July 11. Despite those dry spells, he's still slashing .296/.355/.403 through 98 contests on the season with 52 RBI, 11 short of the career high he set in 2022. Friday's steal was also the first of his career.

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Friday's 10-3 win over the Angels.

Langeliers led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer, and he added an RBI single in the eighth to help the Athletics secure their lead. His power has spiked in August with seven homers over his last 13 games, a span in which he's also batting .386 (22-for-57). The catcher has gone deep 25 times this season, putting him on pace to reach the 30-homer mark for the first time in his career. He's added 55 RBI, 53 runs scored, 21 doubles, five stolen bases and a .274/.320/.549 slash line across 92 contests in a breakout campaign.

O'Hoppe is not in the Angels' starting lineup against the Athletics on Friday.

O'Hoppe will get a day off while Travis d'Arnaud serves behind home plate and bats seventh. O'Hoppe has gone 5-for-29 (.172) with four RBI in eight games since the beginning of August.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

Jeffers isn't part of the starting nine for the first time in 15 games, yielding to Mickey Gasper behind the dish while Trevor Larnach fills in at DH. Jeffers is hitless in his last 11 at-bats, a stretch that began immediately after he posted a 12-game hit streak.

Garver will DH and bat sixth in Friday's game against the Mets.

Garver was left off the first iteration of Seattle's lineup, but he'll step into the starting nine after Josh Naylor (undisclosed) was scratched. Garver is slashing .212/.301/.332 in 219 plate appearances this season.

Naylor isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Miami.

Naylor will get a day to regroup Thursday after going just 1-for-13 with two walks and a run scored over his last five contests. Austin Hedges will take his place behind home plate and bat ninth.

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Cubs.

Kirk started at catcher in both of the first two games of the series, so he'll get a breather in Thursday's finale. Tyler Heineman will fill in behind the dish and will bat eighth in the rubber match.

Rutschman is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Mariners.

Rutschman has gone 1-for-14 at the dish over his last four games, so he will get a day off Thursday to regroup. Alex Jackson will start at catcher and bat ninth for the rubber match in Seattle.

Garver will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Orioles.

With star backstop Cal Raleigh getting a rare rest day as the Mariners conclude their series in Baltimore with a day game after a night game, Garver will receive a turn behind the plate. Since the All-Star break, Garver has struggled to get much going offensively while seeing inconsistent playing time, slashing just .184/.273/.289 with a home run and a 4:14 BB:K over 44 plate appearances.

Raleigh is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore.

Following a stretch of three straight games with a home run, Raleigh has gone 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series. He'll get a rare breather in Thursday's series finale, with Mitch Garver getting a turn at catcher in Raleigh's stead.