MLB Player News

Heim went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-1 win over the Angels.

Heim continues to perform as one of the best-hitting catchers in MLB. He ranks second at the position in RBI (26), average (.305) and slugging (.568), and fourth in OBP (.374). The 27-year-old backstop is expected to serve as the team's primary catcher until Mitch Garver (knee) becomes available -- Texas manager Bruce Bochy recently targeted a May 23 return -- and likely remain in the role going forward, given Garver's injury history and the team's desire to sustain his availability for the rest of the season by using him as a DH at times.

Rutschman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Rutschman had started each of the previous seven games at either catcher or designated hitter, but he'll get a breather for the series finale while James McCann and Anthony Santander draw the starts at those respective lineup spots. The move to the bench comes after Rutschman went 0-for-11 over his last three starts, dropping his season average to .285. Rutschman walked four times and struck out just twice during that span, so he still appears to be seeing the ball well at the plate.

Zavala went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Reds.

Zavala picked up a rare start behind the plate and took advantage by slugging his second home run of the season. With Eloy Jimenez (abdomen) sidelined for at least the next month, the White Sox could opt to get Yasmani Grandal more plate appearances as the designated hitter -- in turn opening more playing time for Zavala at catcher. Zavala hasn't dictated that outcome with his performance to this point in the season, as he has just a .179 average and 62 wRC+ across 42 plate appearances.

Fermin went 1-for-4 with a solo homer scored in Saturday's 5-4 loss against the Athletics.

Fermin took Ken Waldichuk yard for a solo home run in the fourth inning, marking his second consecutive game with a home run. However, Fermin was unable to make an impact outside of the solo shot, with a pair of strikeouts and a foul out in his other three plate appearances. Though the 27-year-old remains firmly behind Salvador Perez on the depth chart, he could push Kansas City to play Perez at DH if he continues to hit the ball well.

Lee is dealing with a left groin injury at Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He has missed the last few games with the issue but is not on the minor-league injured list yet. Lee is hitting .265 with one home run in 98 at-bats.

Jansen will be on the bench Saturday against the Pirates.

Jansen has fallen into a slump at the plate, going 2-for-25 over his last seven games. That's brought his season slash line down to .156/.256/.319, a far cry from his .260/.339/.516 showing last season. Alejandro Kirk starts behind the plate Saturday.

Vazquez will sit Saturday against Cleveland, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Vazquez sits in favor of Ryan Jeffers after starting seven of the last nine games behind the plate. He hasn't exactly earned such a heavy workload, hitting a modest .237/.310/.276 on the season. If Jeffers can maintain something close to his small-sample .801 OPS, it's possible Vazquez starts to lose playing time, but there's been no indication that's about to happen.

Rogers will be on the bench Saturday against the Cardinals.

Rogers has seen a marginal uptick in playing time lately, but his off day means he leads Eric Haase in starts behind the plate by the narrowest of margins, starting 16 games to Haase's 15. Rogers has hit .200/.313/.418 with three homers this year, while Haase has homered twice while slashing .278/.337/.405.

Garver (knee) took batting practice Friday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Garver, who was placed on the 10-day injured list April 10 with a left knee sprain, has ramped up his activity of late. Texas manager Bruce Bochy is targeting a May 23 return date.

Heim went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Angels.

Heim has gone 10-for-24 (.417) at the plate over his last six contests, adding two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in that span. While he didn't generate any scoring Friday, he was able to record his first steal of the campaign. The catcher is slashing .300/.373/.578 with six homers, 23 RBI, 18 runs scored and seven doubles through 102 plate appearances.