MLB Player News

O'Hoppe (shoulder) said Monday that he's starting a rehab assignment with Single-A Inland Empire on Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Angels manager Phil Nevin stated last Wednesday that O'Hoppe was on track to start his rehab stint the following week, and that has come to fruition with the catcher joining the Single-A club Tuesday. O'Hoppe hasn't seen any game action since suffering a torn labrum in a game April 20, and he's expected to need most or all of the 20-day rehab window before he's ready to return to the big club.

Cleveland placed Fry on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to August 5, with a sore hamstring, Joe Noga of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

This helps to explain why Fry has been absent from the Guardians' lineup since Friday. He'll now remain sidelined for at least another week. Ramon Laureano, claimed off waivers from the Athletics on Monday, will fill the vacant 26-man roster spot ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Blue Jays.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game in Detroit.

Jeffers slugged a home run in Monday's win in what was his third straight start (two at catcher and one at designated hitter), but he'll give way to Christian Vazquez behind the plate Tuesday. The 26-year-old boasts an .895 OPS with nine dingers over 211 plate appearances this season.

Garver went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.

Garver extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and six RBI. The catcher has taken over as the Rangers' No. 1 behind the dish with Jonah Heim (wrist) on the injured list. Garver's up to a .284/.365/.489 slash line with seven home runs, eight doubles, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored through 159 plate appearances this season.

Jeffers went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer in Monday's win over the Tigers.

The 26-year-old catcher launched a three-run shot off Joey Wentz in the first inning to extend Minnesota's early lead. Jeffers now has four long balls in his last four games played, further bolstering his case for more playing time behind the dish.

Rortvedt will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the White Sox.

Rortvedt is behind the plate for the fourth time in six games and may have inched ahead of Kyle Higashioka on the depth chart at catcher. Since getting called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 21, Rortvedt has drawn walks at a 15 percent clip, but he's managed just one hit in 17 at-bats.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Higashioka is sitting for the fourth time in six games and may be falling into the weak side of a timeshare at catcher with Ben Rortvedt. Since top backstop Jose Trevino (wrist) went down with a season-ending injury shortly after the All-Star break, Higashioka has produced a .537 OPS while striking out at a 32.4 percent rate over 12 games.

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

Kirk will hit the bench for the series opener after he had started in each of the last four games, with the most recent two coming at catcher while Danny Jansen (wrist) dealt with an injury. Jansen is back behind the plate Monday, but Kirk has made the case to remain part of a timeshare on the days he's not being used as a designated hitter. Though Kirk has been disappointing on the whole in 2023, he's in the midst of one of his best offensive stretches of the season. Dating back to July 20, Kirk has slashed .395/.500/.651 with three home runs and 8:4 BB:K in 13 games.

Jansen (wrist) will start at catcher and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Guardians.

Jansen will check back in behind the plate after an inflamed right wrist kept him out of the lineup the past two days. With Jansen back in the fold, Alejandro Kirk will head to the bench for the series opener in Cleveland.

Fermin went 2-for-4 with a double in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Phillies.

Fermin closed out the weekend with a fourth consecutive two-hit game, and he's now slashing a blistering .388/.404/.714 with four home runs, eight RBI and 11 runs in 13 games since the All-Star break. An injury to Nick Pratto (groin) along with his own hot bat has allowed Fermin to take hold of a regular spot in the lineup alongside veteran catcher Salvador Perez, who has been seeing more time at first base and designated hitter of late. Perez is out of the lineup Monday in Boston due to what appears to be a minor hand injury, so Matt Beaty will fill in at first base while Fermin bats sixth and settles in behind the plate for what will be his fifth consecutive start.