MLB Player News

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Boston.

Kirk started behind the dish each of the last three games, so he will get some rest during Thursday's matinee. Brandon Valenzuela will start at catcher and bat eighth as the Blue Jays look to complete the series sweep.

The Angels optioned Porter to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

He's clearing out to make space on the roster for Tyler Heineman, who was acquired via trade to serve as top catcher Logan O'Hoppe's backup. Porter went 1-for-4 with a double during his brief time in the big leagues.

Toronto traded Heineman to the Angels for cash considerations on Wednesday.

After recently being designated for assignment to make room for Alejandro Kirk, Toronto has decided to ship Heineman off to the Angels. In 87 plate appearances for the Blue Jays, the 35-year-old batted just .154/.205/.205 with one homer and six RBI. The defense-first catcher will be inserted as the backup behind Logan O'Hoppe while Travis d'Arnaud (foot) and Sebastian Rivero (hand) are on the IL.

Jensen went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Nationals.

The 22-year-old backstop set the tone for the afternoon when he drove the fourth pitch he saw from Zack Littell over the fence in the right-field corner, the first of four long balls by Kansas City. It was the first four-hit performance of Jensen's career, and it extended his current hit streak to nine games, during which he's batting .361 (13-for-36) with five doubles, two homers, seven runs and nine RBI. Wednesday's steal was also his first in the majors in his 88th game, but Jensen flashed some base-stealing acumen in the minors, going 10-for-11 on steal attempts over 103 games last season and 17-for-20 over 124 games in 2024.

Escarra is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

The Yankees will go with a right-handed-heavy lineup to counter White Sox southpaw Anthony Kay, so Escarra will retreat to the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Spencer Jones and Ryan McMahon. Ali Sanchez will get the nod at catcher, forming a battery with starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.

Romo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

After starting behind the dish in the White Sox's previous two games, Romo will cede catching duties to Edgar Quero on Wednesday. The two backstops are likely to be deployed in a timeshare arrangement until Kyle Teel (knee) is deemed ready to return from the 60-day injured list.

Gasper (groin) will start at catcher and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

A tight groin had kept Gasper out of the starting nine in the Red Sox's previous two games, but he was available off the bench Tuesday and went on to strike out in a pinch-hitting appearance before catching the final inning of a 6-1 loss. Gasper looks to have avoided any setbacks following the late-game cameo and should be ready to handle a full nine-inning workload behind the plate in Wednesday's contest.

O'Hoppe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The Angels will give O'Hoppe a breather for the afternoon tilt after he went 4-for-8 with two doubles and a run scored while starting behind the plate in the first two games of the series. Logan Porter will handle catching duties for the Angels in the finale in Arizona.

Rogers will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Rogers will enter the starting nine for the series finale while the Tigers give top backstop Dillon Dingler a break from catching but keep his bat in the lineup at designated hitter. With Dingler handling one of the heavier workloads among all catchers this season, Rogers has been limited to just 68 plate appearances through Detroit's first 73 games.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Tigers.

Diaz started Tuesday's contest in his return from the injured list, but he will take a seat during Wednesday's matinee. It will be Christian Vazquez doing the catching in Thursday's rubber match.