MLB Player News

Haase (abdomen) isn't starting Saturday against the Royals.

Haase exited Friday's matchup in the bottom of the second inning due to a lower abdominal contusion, and he'll be held out of the lineup a day later. Tucker Barnhart is starting at catcher and batting eighth.

Heim isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Red Sox.

Heim has hit just .056 with a double, two runs, six walks and seven strikeouts over his last 13 games, and he'll take a seat for the third time in the last six games. Meibrys Viloria is starting behind the dish and batting eighth.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored Friday against the Yankees.

Bethancourt launched a two-run homer in the seventh inning against Domingo German. He now has nine long balls on the season, four of which have come in his last eight contests. Bethancourt has started seven of the Rays' last 11 games and has maintained a .238/.275/.393 line across 266 plate appearances on the season.

Wong went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-1 win over the Rangers.

Wong, who was in the starting lineup after being called up when rosters expanded, crushed a 439-foot homer off Texas left-hander A.J. Alexy. He was red hot at Triple-A Worcester prior to joining the Red Sox, having hit .368/.411/.838 with nine home runs and 22 RBI over 16 games in August. Boston manager Alex Cora told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that he'll find ways to get Wong at-bats while he's swinging the bat well, noting he can also play the infield. At 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, Wong doesn't look the part of a power hitter, but he has what baseball people like to describe as sneaky pop. He has an opportunity over the final month of the season. Boston's catching position for 2023 is in flux with Christian Vazquez traded and Kevin Plawecki due to be a free agent. Wong and Reese McGuire could make up the catching tandem next season.

Heim went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 9-1 loss to Boston.

Heim had a strong start to the season and held up well when a Mitch Garver (forearm) injury forced him into an everyday job at catcher. His fortunes, however, have turned since the break; Heim's batting just .183 in the second half and has two hits over the last 36 at-bats. He eclipsed his previous MLB career high in plate appearances in late July and is now up to 387 for the season, which could partially explain the diminished production.

Diaz went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the Angels.

Diaz made his major-league debut Friday, and he drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the Astros' fourth run. The 23-year-old is a natural catcher, but he was the designated hitter Friday and doesn't seem likely to displace Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez behind the dish. Diaz had a solid 6.1 percent walk rate and a disciplined 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 48 games with Triple-A Sugar Land prior to his call-up. He slashed .294/.342/.587 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI and 38 runs scored at the highest level of the minors, though there's probably not a regular role waiting for him in the Houston lineup.

Maldonado (hand) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Friday's 4-2 win over the Angels.

Maldonado missed two games due to swelling in his right hand after he was hit by a pitch Sunday versus the Orioles. The catcher wasn't able to do much in his return, and he's gone just 5-for-40 (.125) over his last 14 games. Despite the lack of hitting, Maldonado figures to reclaim the No. 1 catcher role over Christian Vazquez as long as the former's hand issue doesn't resurface.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 3-2 win over the Twins.

Grandal supplied an RBI single and scored in the fourth inning, then added a game-tying solo shot in the eighth. This was the catcher's third game back from a knee injury -- he's gone 3-for-10 with two walks since his return. The 33-year-old is slashing .207/.311/.276 with four homers, 23 RBI, 12 runs scored and a stolen base through 302 plate appearances this season, and he should continue to serve as the White Sox's primary catcher when healthy.

Perez (hand) was diagnosed with a right hand contusion after exiting Friday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the top of the sixth inning, but he underwent X-rays that came back negative. He seems to have avoided any structural damage, and he's considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's matchup.

Raleigh went 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBI in Friday's 6-1 win over Cleveland.

Raleigh drilled a solo shot against Cody Morris in the second inning followed by a three-run shot against Bryan Shaw in the sixth. The 25-year-old catcher has gone deep 21 times this season while posting a .205/.277/.475 slash line through 98 games. Entering Friday's game, Raleigh had just one home run in his previous 11 games after going deep twice Aug. 17.