MLB Player News

The Yankees signed Bethancourt to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Bethancourt had been at Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs organization before being released earlier this month. The 34-year-old is a career .229/.259/.362 hitter across parts of eight big-league seasons, though he hasn't seen any action in the majors since 2024.

The Athletics announced that Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy Tuesday in Los Angeles and also received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Gallegos previously reported Monday that Langeliers was expected to undergo a meniscus repair, but the catcher instead required a trim of the meniscus. A meniscectomy typically entails a recovery period of about 3-to-6 weeks, and given that timeline, the Athletics haven't officially ruled Langeliers out for the season. That said, manager Mark Kotsay already told Jason Burke of Roundtable.io on Monday that he expects Langeliers to be shut down for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, and the 44-62 Athletics will have little incentive to rush the All-Star backstop back into action at the tail end of the season even if his rehab goes swimmingly. Jonah Heim is poised to take over as the Athletics' primary catcher in Langeliers' absence.

Heim went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Heim crushed a solo shot to center field in the sixth inning, his 10th homer of the season. It's been a fairly lackluster July for the switch hitter, as he's slashing .197/.229/.348 with three homers, 12 RBI and five runs scored across 17 contests this month. With Shea Langeliers (knee) likely out for the remainder of the season, Heim is in line to serve as the Athletics' primary catcher moving forward.

Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run against the White Sox in a 9-5 win Monday.

Sanchez went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in his first three plate appearances, but he redeemed himself in the eighth inning with a three-run blast to left field that increased New York's lead from two runs to five. The home run was the first of the journeyman's big-league career in his 75th regular-season game. The Yankees have faced a left-handed starter on four consecutive days, and Sanchez has started three of those contests, so he appears to be working on the short side of a platoon with Austin Wells behind the plate.

Diaz is not in the Astros' starting lineup against the Angels on Monday.

Diaz will grab a seat for Monday's series opener while Christian Vazquez starts behind home plate and bats ninth while forming a battery with right-hander Tatsuya Imai. Diaz has gone 3-for-24 with two runs and five strikeouts over six games since the All-Star break.

Langeliers will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn right meniscus, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Langeliers might have had a chance at making a late-season return if he required a meniscectomy or trim of the meniscus, but he'll end up being shut down for the season since he'll require a full repair, which typically carries a recovery timeline of 3-to-6 months. With Langeliers on the shelf, Jonah Heim will serve as the Athletics' starting catcher moving forward, while Brian Serven operates in a backup role. Langeliers will conclude his 2026 campaign with a .263/.332/.497 slash line, 23 home runs, two stolen bases, 51 RBI and 55 runs in 93 games.

Heineman will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Astros.

Logan O'Hoppe started each of the last two days versus lefties, but this will be the third straight start for the switch-hitting Heineman against a righty. Heineman is 7-for-27 with a 3:3 BB:K in 11 games since joining the Angels in mid-June.

O'Hoppe is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Astros.

It marks the third straight time the right-handed-hitting O'Hoppe has not started versus a right-handed hurler. O'Hoppe is slashing just .188/.254/.291 with a 25.8 percent strikeout rate against righties this season. Tyler Heineman will draw another start behind the dish Monday.

Romo is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Yankees.

Romo and Edgar Quero have split catching duties down the middle since Kyle Teel (ankle) went down, drawing three starts apiece. It will be Quero behind the dish in Monday's series opener.

The Orioles designated Huff for assignment Monday.

Touted as a bat-first catcher, Huff had been abysmal across 14 games in the big leagues this season, batting just .121 while striking out in 19 of his 34 plate appearances. Though the Orioles remain without their top two backstops in Adley Rutschman (wrist) and Samuel Basallo (shoulder), Huff hadn't produced well enough to justify sticking around in the big leagues. Baltimore recalled recent waiver pickup Yohel Pozo from Double-A Chesapeake in a corresponding move, and he'll join Chadwick Tromp as the team's available options behind the plate until one of Rutschman or Basallo returns.