MLB Player News

Maldonado will sit Saturday against the White Sox.

Maldonado has provided his typical unimpressive performance at the plate this season, slashing .186/.278/.291, but he's nonetheless started 28 of Houston's first 39 games. Cesar Salazar will be the backstop Saturday.

Grandal (hamstring) is starting at catcher and batting seventh Saturday against the Astros, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

This is excellent news, as Grandal's hamstring issue was indeed minor after being pulled from Thursday's game and sitting out Friday. Grandal is hitting .344 with three runs and two RBI in 10 games this month.

Heim will sit Saturday against Oakland.

Heim is off to an excellent start this season, hitting .319/.379/.546 with six homers. That's led to a heavy workload, as he started 11 of the last 13 games behind the plate prior to Saturday's off day. Sandy Leon will catch Jon Gray in Heim's absence.

Kirk will sit Saturday against Atlanta.

Kirk's plate discipline remains excellent this season, as he's walked 17.1 percent of the time to go with a 13.0 percent strikeout rate. He hasn't done much damage when he hits the ball, however, homering just twice while hitting .230, though his 8.1 percent barrel rate is just a tenth of a point below league average, suggesting potential for improvement. Danny Jansen starts behind the plate Saturday.

Vazquez will sit Saturday against the Cubs.

Vazquez finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games. His bat has gone cold recently, as he's hit .098/.174/.098 in his last 13 games. Ryan Jeffers will take over behind the plate.

Rogers will hit the bench Saturday against Seattle.

Rogers still has a narrow 21-17 lead over Eric Haase in starts behind the plate, but Haase has also picked up seven starts in right field and two as a designated hitter. Rogers is hitting a lopsided .183/.275/.437 this season, showing power but not much contact at the plate.

Trevino will sit Saturday against the Rays.

Trevino sits after starting five of the last six games behind the plate. He hasn't done much offensively this season, hitting .214/.267/.345 with three homers. Kyle Higashioka will start in his absence.

Bethancourt will sit Saturday against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Despite the day off, Bethancourt remains the clear primary option behind the plate in Tampa Bay, catching 24 games to Francisco Mejia's 17. Bethancourt's .776 OPS handily beats Mejia's .622 mark, so don't expect the depth chart to flip any time soon.

Wong went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Cardinals.

Wong hit the second of back-to-back blasts along with Enmanuel Valdez in the fifth inning of a back-and-forth game. It was the fourth home run in 81 at-bats for the catcher, who achieved double-digit homers in three of four full seasons in the minors. The season began with Wong as the backup to Reese McGuire, but the roles have since shifted. Wong's started 24 games compared to 15 for McGuire.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-7 victory over Texas.

Perez has been extremely productive across 21 games so far this season. The catcher now has a .321 batting average, as well as a .908 OPS. The 32-year-old veteran has never been able to put together a full season in the big leagues, so expectations should still be tempered.