MLB Player News

Haase went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 10-7 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays.

Haase has made two starts since the Guardians claimed him off waivers from the Tigers last Monday. Both of those games have seen him start behind the dish, but his path to playing time there is crowded with both Bo Naylor and Cam Gallagher also on the roster. Haase has a paltry .203/.249/.284 slash line with four home runs, four steals, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, eight doubles and a triple over 290 plate appearances this season. He's gone 2-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts with Cleveland, but it seems unlikely the 30-year-old will get into the lineup much more than once or twice a week.

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

Higashioka and DJ LeMahieu hit back-to-back-back jacks off Zack Littell in the third inning. In his age-33 season, Higashioka has tallied a career-high 32 RBI and is just two home runs away from a new best mark in that category. For the year, he's slashing .231/.269/.404 with nine homers, 21 runs scored and a 12:60 BB:K in 224 plate appearances.

Diaz went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Diaz entered the game as a pinch hitter for Martin Maldonado in the eighth inning and had the luxury of facing backup catcher Carson Kelly, who was pitching for the Tigers to preserve the bullpen while Houston held a 12-0 lead. The rookie still took advantage of the favorable matchup and supplied his 19th home run, setting an Astros record for most home runs in a season for a catcher. Diaz is still in a timeshare behind the dish with Maldonado, though the Astros have found ways to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup at designated hitter and first base on his non-catching days. The 24-year-old is now slashing .284/.304/.537 with 48 RBI and 39 runs in 313 plate appearances on the campaign.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Maldonado swatted his 11th home run of the season in the seventh to put the Astros out front 7-0. He now has two home runs over his last three games and has an RBI in four of his last five. The 36-year-old is having another abysmal year at the plate, striking out at a career-high 34.2 percent rate and slashing just .183/.252/.329 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and a 24:114 BB:K in 333 plate appearances.

Heim went 1-for-6 with a grand slam in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Twins.

The fourth-inning slam was Heim's first extra-base hit in 11 games since he returned from a wrist injury. In that span, he's gone an awful 3-for-30 (.100) with a 2:8 BB:K, a dry spell that saw him on the bench Friday and Saturday. Heim has been one of the better offensive catchers in baseball this season with a .265/.322/.455 slash line, 15 homers, 74 RBI, 51 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases over 101 contests. Mitch Garver hasn't been bad either, and he could push for time behind the dish if Heim doesn't get back on track soon.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Fermin seems to have moved into more of a part-time role of late, as he'll hit the bench for the third time in seven games while he's slashed a paltry .107/.129/.143 since Aug. 15. With Salvador Perez picking up more playing time behind the dish rather than at first base or designated hitter of late, Matt Beaty has been gaining more traction in the Royals' everyday lineup.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Vazquez will sit out the day game after a night game, affording Ryan Jeffers a turn behind the plate. After he entered the series versus Texas with a five-game hitting streak, Vazquez went 0-for-7 over his two starts against the Rangers.

Langeliers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Langeliers will be getting a needed day off for the series finale after he started behind the dish in each of Oakland's last six games while going 5-for-20 with four home runs and a stolen base. Carlos Perez will handle catching duties Sunday.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Rortvedt will get a maintenance day after catching in the first two games of the series while going 0-for-5 with a walk against three strikeouts. Kyle Higashioka will step in behind the dish for the series finale.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Though Diaz is on the bench for Sunday's series finale, expect the Astros to find a way for him to stick in the lineup on a near-everyday basis. He had started in each of the last nine games, slashing .316/.350/.553 with five extra-base hits. Even with Jose Abreu having recently returned from the injured list, the Astros can keep Diaz's bat in the lineup by deploying Yordan Alvarez in the corner outfield more often or giving top catcher Martin Maldonado more frequent days off.