MLB Player News

The Tigers plan to exercise Kelly's $3.5 million team option for 2024, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

After getting released by Arizona in mid-August, Kelly caught on with the Tigers shortly thereafter on a prorated one-year, $720,000 deal that included the club option for 2024. Over 19 games with the Tigers, Kelly hit just .173 and got on base at a .271 clip, but the organization was evidently satisfied enough with how the 29-year-old handled the pitching staff and acquitted himself defensively to justify bringing him back for 2024. Kelly will likely head into Opening Day as the Tigers' No. 2 catcher behind Jake Rogers.

The Rays placed Bethancourt on outright waivers Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt will join five teammates on the waiver wire in an effort from the Rays to clear space on the 40-man roster. The 32-year-old backstop slashed .225/.254/.381 across 332 plate appearances in 2023 and could be picked up by another team in search of a backup catcher.

Astros general manager Dana Brown confirmed in an interview with Randy McIlvoy of KPRC-TV on Thursday that Diaz "will be the main guy" next season at catcher.

Martin Maldonado has reached free agency, and while it's possible he could be re-signed as a backup, Diaz is in line to take over the lion's share of the catching duties for Houston next season. The 25-year-old made 85 starts -- 42 at catcher -- for the Astros in 2023, popping 23 home runs over just 377 plate appearances while posting an .846 OPS.

Cropley cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

He's no longer on the Royals' 40-man roster but will remain in the organization. Cropley, 27, got into two games for Kansas City this season, picking up one hit in six at-bats.

Heim is starting at catcher and batting ninth Friday in Game 5 of the ALCS versus the Astros.

He's part of the shakeup in the bottom half of the Rangers' batting order, as he previously has hit sixth eight times and fifth once in Texas' first nine games this postseason. Heim collected exactly one hit in each of those first seven contests but is hitless his last two times out.

Wallach elected free agency Tuesday.

Wallach had been outrighted off the Angels' 40-man roster. The 31-year-old saw his most extensive big-league action to date in 2023 but produced just a .635 OPS in 65 contests for the Halos.

Perez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

The Athletics did some housecleaning with their 40-man roster Thursday and Perez is one of the players to lose his spot. He'll remain in the organization and represent catching depth.

Diaz is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins.

Diaz takes a seat after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts as the Astros' designated hitter Tuesday in Game 3. Yordan Alvarez will fill the DH role Wednesday in Game 4, with Michael Brantley patrolling left field and Martin Maldonado again handling the catching duties.

Diaz will start at designated hitter in Game 3 of the ALDS versus the Twins on Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz had an excellent rookie season for the Astros but has been limited to one pinch-hitting appearance in the first two games of the ALDS. Presumably, his start in Game 3 will come at the expense of Michael Brantley, with Yordan Alvarez playing left field.

Vazquez is absent from the lineup Wednesday for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series versus the Blue Jays.

Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers basically alternated starts at catcher during the regular season, but it's been Jeffers behind the plate for each of the first two games of the postseason. The only tweak the Twins made in their lineup from Game 1 to Game 2 was flip-flopping Jeffers and Matt Wallner in the batting order, with the former moving down to eighth and the latter up to seventh.