MLB Player News

Heim is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.

Texas has been opening playing time for both Heim and Kyle Higashioka of late by frequently using one at catcher and one at designated hitter, but the former will be left out of the starting nine Monday while Cody Freeman gets a look at DH. Though Heim should continue to see a fair share of starts moving forward, the Rangers seem to be prioritizing Higashioka a little bit more. Higashioka is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak and will stick in the lineup for a seventh straight game, while Heim is on the bench for the third time during that stretch.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Arizona.

Diaz will get a breather for Monday's series opener after he started the last three contests. Victor Caratini is catching and batting third for the Astros.

Handley is nearing the completion of the concussion protocol, but he's nursing a wrist injury and will visit with a specialist in the coming days, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Handley has been on the 7-day injured list since late June and evidently must have also hurt his wrist during a collision with the Yankees' Jazz Chisholm back on June 22. The Orioles haven't provided a timetable for his return from the IL.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.

Since the second week of July, Stallings had been seeing the bulk of the starts behind the plate for the Orioles, but he'll give way to Alex Jackson for the second day in a row. Baltimore may just be rewarding Jackson with another start after he provided a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Rays.

Caratini went 3-for-5 with a two-RBI double and an RBI single during Sunday's 11-3 win over the Mariners.

Caratini drove in at least three Astros for the fifth time this season and notched his sixth three-hit game of the year. The 31-year-old has recorded a hit in 12 of his 13 games in July, going 20-for-52 with four homers and 17 RBI. He's slashing .272/.321/.447 overall.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Miami.

Perez knocked a double and scored a run in the fourth inning before adding an insurance run with his solo shot in the eighth. He's up to 15 homers this season, including two during the three-game series against Miami and six in his last 10 appearances. The veteran slugger has gone 14-for-34 (.412) during that 10-game stretch, boosting his season slash line to .251/.294/.444 through 391 plate appearances.

The Astros optioned Salazar to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Salazar has been up with the Astros as a third catcher since early May, though he's played in just eight games and gone 1-for-7 during his two-plus months in the majors. The 29-year-old is likely to stick with Sugar Land as long as Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini stay healthy.

Wells is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Wells went 1-for-8 with an RBI and a run while starting the first two games of the series and will take a seat for Sunday's finale. Ben Rice will instead do the catching for Marcus Stroman and bat seventh.

Caratini went 3-for-4 with two walks, one RBI and one stolen base in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Mariners.

Caratini has hit safely in eight straight games, going 11-for-31 (.355) in that span. The steal was his first since the 2023 campaign -- he was caught stealing on his only attempt in 2024. The catcher has hit his way into the lineup on a regular basis, playing either behind the dish or at designated hitter while sharing both positions with fellow backstop Yainer Diaz. Caratini is up to a .265/.316/.439 slash line with 10 home runs, 33 RBI, 24 runs scored and nine doubles through 247 plate appearances. He's always had a decent bat for a catcher, but the 31-year-old is on pace for career highs in nearly every counting stat this year if he can continue to see steady playing time.

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two total runs and three total RBI in an 8-2 victory versus the Guardians on Saturday.

Langeliers contributed an RBI double in the fourth inning and a two-run homer in the eighth. In two games since the All-Star break, the talented young catcher has gone 5-for-9 with two homers, two doubles, four runs and five RBI. Langeliers is up to 14 long balls on the campaign, tied for fifth most among big-league backstops.