MLB Player News

Leon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

Leon served as Texas' backup catcher for the first two and a half months of the season but only came to the plate 44 times. His .146/.186/.195 slash line and 45.5 percent strikeout rate make it easy to see why he failed to earn more opportunities.

Bethancourt will sit Saturday against the Padres, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt has the edge in starts over Francisco Mejia on the season by a 43-31 margin, but the pair have taken turns behind the plate over the last six games. An even split better suits their respective performances at the plate, as Bethancourt's .675 OPS isn't meaningfully better than Mejia's .662 mark.

Raleigh will not start Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Raleigh has been in a slump at the plate recently, going 3-for-31 over his last nine games. Tom Murphy will catch for Logan Gilbert on Saturday.

Garver will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Toronto.

Garver was starting regularly after returning from a knee injury at the beginning of June, but he's now been on the bench for five of the last eight games. Jonah Heim continues to handle a heavy workload behind the plate, while Robbie Grossman will get the start as the designated hitter.

Grandal will sit Saturday against Seattle.

Grandal grabbed five hits across the last two games against the Dodgers, but his reward has been to sit for the first two games against the Mariners. Seby Zavala remains the starter behind the plate.

Maldonado will sit Saturday against the Reds.

Maldonado's .547 OPS on the season is low even by his standards; he hasn't finished with a lower mark since all the way back in 2013. That hasn't affected his workload, however, as his 51 starts behind the plate rank sixth in the league. Yainer Diaz will catch for Brandon Bielak on Saturday.

Perez (hand) will bat third and start behind the plate Saturday against the Angels.

Perez had been out of action since taking a pitch off his hand in Wednesday's game against the Reds, but he'll return having missed just one start. Perez had reached base safely in five consecutive games prior to the injury, homering twice.

Vazquez will hit the bench Saturday against the Tigers.

Vazquez was the Twins' clear primary catcher early in the season, earning 32 starts to Ryan Jeffers' 17 over the first 49 games. Since then, however, both backstops have started 11 games. Vazquez is hitting just .220/.293/.255 on the year and has gone 1-for-20 at the plate over his last eight games, so an uptick in playing time doesn't appear imminent.

Jansen went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

He supplied all the offense Kevin Gausman and the Toronto bullpen would need when he took Martin Perez deep in the fifth inning. Jansen has gone yard three times in the last two games, giving him nine homers and 30 RBI in only 40 games this season, but his .216/.276/.470 slash line has so far lagged behind last season's career-best performance.

Naylor will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Naylor will also be in the starting lineup and catch Tanner Bibee on Saturday. The backstop's path to a prominent role was cleared when the Guardians designated Mike Zunino for assignment, and in 269 plate appearances with Columbus, Naylor has registered an .873 OPS with 12 homers. The 23-year-old should see the majority of the reps behind the plate beginning Saturday.