MLB Player News

Fry went 1-for-2 with two walks, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Athletics.

Fry has been in the lineup against both southpaws the Athletics have started so far, playing at designated hitter on Opening Day and at first base in Saturday's contest. He offers a right-handed option at catcher and first, though he could push for more playing time given his hot start. Fry has gone 4-for-6 with three RBI, a steal and two walks over 11 plate appearances while hitting in the middle of the order versus southpaws.

Kelly went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-6, 10-inning win over the White Sox.

Kelly started at catcher and batted seventh in the contest with Jake Rogers getting the day off. That's one start apiece for the two catchers, and it will be worth monitoring the playing time split moving forward. Kelly seems to be the backup at the moment, though he could seize a larger role if he outplays Rogers. Both players could also start at the same time against southpaws with one of them serving as the DH.

Vazquez started at catcher and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's win at Kansas City.

Vazquez struggled at the plate last season by hitting just .223 with little power (.095 ISO) and a paltry .280 OBA, so it was good to see him have a good first game of the season with a key RBI late in the game. He also threw out Bobby Witt on a steal attempt late in the game. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the plan is to roughly split playing time at catcher with Ryan Jeffers as the Twins aim to keep both players fresh.

McCann started at catcher in his major-league debut Saturday against the Guardians, going 0-for-2 with a bases-loaded walk, another base on balls and a run in the 12-3 loss.

McCann's patience with the bases loaded in the third inning paid off, as his free pass brought home Zack Gelof to snap a 2-2 tie and give Oakland what would be its final run of the day. The rookie backstop will need to curb his bloated strikeout rate significantly to have long-term success against big-league arms, but he did combine those poor contact rates in the minors with double-digit walk rates in all but his 2023 stint at Triple-A Las Vegas (9.8 percent). McCann is slated to spell Shea Langeliers behind the dish on occasion for the foreseeable future after beating out Carlos Perez for the No. 2 job this spring.

Rortvedt is not in the Rays' lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Rortvedt drew the start Friday and went 2-for-3 with one walk. Rene Pinto will return behind the plate to start at catcher.

Serven will start at catcher and hit in the No. 8 spot in Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.

After being DFA'd by the Rockies and Cubs over the offseason, Serven joined the Blue Jays in January. He managed to make the Opening Day roster with Danny Jansen (wrist) starting the season on the 10-day injured list. After Alejandro Kirk started the first two games, Serven will start at catcher Saturday and face Rays right-hander Zack Littell.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.

Kirk started at catcher for the first two games of the season, but he will head to the bench Saturday while Brian Serven gets the start. Kirk has begun the season going 1-for-6 with three RBI and one walk, and he will be the top catcher for the Blue Jays due to Danny Jansen (wrist) starting 2024 on the 10-day IL.

Naylor is not in the Guardians' lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Naylor got the start at catcher Friday for Austin Hedges, but with Oakland sending out left-hander JP Sears for Saturday's contest, Hedges will return to the lineup and bat eighth.

McCann will start at catcher and bat seventh in Saturday's game against the Guardians.

McCann won the No. 2 catcher job behind Shea Langeliers after the Athletics optioned Tyler Soderstrom to Triple-A Las Vegas. While McCann struggled in spring training, he finished the 2023 season slashing .270/.351/.474 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI over 388 plate appearances in Triple-A. He'll get his first taste of major-league action against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee.

Rogers is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Rogers was the Opening Day catcher for Detroit on Thursday, when he went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. Carson Kelly will draw the start behind the plate and bat seventh against White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka.