MLB Player News

Kirk (elbow) will start at catcher and bat fourth Saturday against the Yankees.

Kirk had to sit out Toronto's last two games after taking a pitch off his left elbow Tuesday, but he seems to be feeling well enough to start behind the dish Saturday. The 25-year-old backstop has gone 7-for-22 with two RBI and two runs scored in six games since the All-Star break.

Serven went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-5 win over the Yankees.

Batting ninth and getting another start behind the plate while Alejandro Kirk nurses a bruised elbow, Serven came through with a two-run single in the third inning. The hits and RBI were the 29-year-old's first since he was added back to the big-league roster July 28 following the Danny Jansen trade, but with Kirk not expected to miss much more time, Serven will likely return to the bench before the weekend is over.

Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 win over the Dodgers.

Langeliers' solo shot was his third homer over the last seven games. While he's making good contact -- he's added three doubles in that span -- he's also struck out nine times over those contests. The catcher is up to a .215/.272/.457 slash line with 21 homers, 57 RBI, 40 runs scored and four stolen bases over 93 games this season. He needs one more long ball to match his total from 135 games in 2023.

Wong went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI in Friday's 11-6 victory over the Rangers.

The Boston backstop posted his third four-hit game of the season with this effort, knocking four singles. After batting just .211 (16-for-76) in July, this performance was a welcome sight for Wong since he may have to compete for playing time with the recently acquired Danny Jansen. Overall, Wong is now slashing .304/.366/.450 with 10 homers, 39 runs scored and 37 RBI across 320 plate appearances this season.

Perez went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI double and three total runs scored in Friday's 9-2 win over Detroit.

Perez got the Royals on the board in the second inning, blasting a Tarik Skubal slider 448 feet for his 20th homer of the year. Perez would drive in a second run in the seventh with a double, extending Kansas City's lead to 7-2. The veteran backstop has been swinging a hot bat, going 9-for-22 (.409) while striking out just twice in his last five games. Overall, Perez is slashing .282/.339/.476 with 75 RBI and 46 runs scored through 440 plate appearances this season.

Naylor is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Baltimore.

Naylor has blasted a three-run home run in each of his last two outings, and he will get a breather for Friday's contest. Austin Hedges will start behind home plate and bat ninth against Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer.

Heim is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

It's the second straight contest on the bench for the 29-year-old after a run of five straight starts. Heim has a .618 OPS through 93 games this season, and he could have less of an everyday role after the Rangers acquired Carson Kelly, who is starting Friday, from the Tigers last weekend.

Rortvedt isn't in the Rays' lineup Friday against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rortvedt will retreat to the bench Friday while left-hander Yusei Kikuchi starts on the mound for Houston. Alex Jackson will catch instead for Shane Baz and bat ninth.

Kirk (elbow) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.

It's the second straight game out of the lineup for Kirk after being hit by a pitch in the left elbow Tuesday against the Orioles. Brian Serven will receive another look behind the plate in the series opener in the Bronx.

Jeffers is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the White Sox.

He and Christian Vazquez continue to alternate starts at catcher, doing so now for the 14th straight game. Jeffers has just a .561 OPS since the beginning of June.