MLB Player News

Langeliers is not in the lineup Thursday against the Astros.

Tyler Soderstrom will start at catcher and bat fifth while Jordan Diaz serves as the Athletics' designated hitter and bats third. Langeliers has reached the double-digits in homers this year with 10, but his overall .204/.265/.368 slash line leaves a lot to be desired.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Rays.

Heim broke open a close game with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. It was the catcher's second home run in five games since the All-Star break. While memories of Heim's fade in the second half of last season are fresh, it should be noted that he experienced that drop-off after about 300 plate appearances. He's up to 337 plate appearances and has not showed signs of a similar fate in 2023.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Twins.

Murphy got the Mariners on the board with his sixth-inning blast off Kenta Maeda. While his playing time remains sparse, Murphy has taken advantages of his opportunities by going 5-for-15 (.333) with two homers in July. The backup catcher is batting .275 with six long balls, 11 RBI, 12 runs scored and nine doubles over 112 plate appearances this season.

Perez (hamstring) went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Perez was out for two days while dealing with a Grade 1 plus hamstring strain, but he was able to avoid the injured list. He played all nine innings behind the dish before Edward Olivares replaced him as a pinch runner. Through 11 contests in July, Perez is batting .278 (10-for-36) with a 2:10 BB:K. The catcher is slashing .255/.298/.440 through 85 contests overall.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Mariners.

He and Ryan Jeffers have alternated starts at catcher since the All-Star break and it will be Jeffers catching for Kenta Maeda in this one. Vazquez went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's contest.

Raleigh is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Twins.

It will be Tom Murphy catching for Luis Castillo as Raleigh grabs a seat. Raleigh had been behind the plate for each of Seattle's previous four contests.

Perez (hamstring) is catching and batting cleanup in his return to the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers.

Perez missed a couple starts with a left hamstring strain but feels well enough to give it a go Wednesday. The slugger has struggled over the last few weeks, batting .192/.276/.212 with no home runs and one RBI in his previous 15 contests.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Wednesday that O'Hoppe (shoulder) is trending toward a return before the end of the season, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

O'Hoppe's return in 2023 has been considered up in the air since he had surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He's progressed well, though; he went through catching drills Wednesday after starting to hit off a tee over the weekend. Late August had previously been mentioned as a best-case scenario for O'Hoppe's activation, but there remains no clear timeline.

Thaiss is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Chad Wallach will handle the catching duties and hit ninth for the Angels with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound for New York. Thaiss has drawn only 24 plate appearances this year against southpaws, compared to 195 plate appearances against righties.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Kirk has sat out two straight and has caught just one of the last five games as he struggles through an extended slump at the plate. Danny Jansen will catch for Jose Berrios.