MLB Player News

Langeliers is absent from the lineup Friday against the Astros.

Carlos Perez will start at catcher and Brent Rooker will serve as Oakland's designated hitter. Langeliers has slashed just .169/.250/.254 with one home run over his last 80 plate appearances dating back to April 30.

Thaiss is out of the lineup Friday versus the Marlins.

Chad Wallach will catch and bat eighth with left-hander Jesus Luzardo set to take the mound for Miami. Thaiss is enjoying a strong season but probably will continue to sit against most southpaws.

The Blue Jays placed Jansen on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left groin strain.

Jansen suffered a groin injury while running to first base Wednesday against Tampa Bay, and he will now officially be forced to sit out until early June. Alejandro Kirk will likely fill in as Toronto's primary catcher while Jansen is on the IL, and Tyler Heineman -- who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday -- figures to be Kirk's backup.

Heineman was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

He's replacing the injured Danny Jansen (groin) on the roster. Heineman could get the occasional start while Jansen is on the mend, but Alejandro Kirk will be Toronto's primary catcher.

Heim is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Baltimore.

It looks to be a routine day off for Heim after he started each of the previous four contests. Sandy Leon has seemed to become Jon Gray's personal catcher of late and will be behind the plate again for him Friday.

Kirk went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's loss against the Rays.

Kirk was the lone Blue Jay to record more than one hit in the contest. After a slow start to the season, the 24-year-old backstop has started to heat up, going 9-for-25 in his last seven games. Kirk's now slashing .248/.360/.333 with two home runs, 11 runs scored and 12 RBI through 139 plate appearances. Kirk is certainly capable of providing offense from the catcher position, and he could see an expanded role depending on the severity of Danny Jansen's groin injury.

Raleigh went 2-for-3 with a bases-loaded walk and a run in a win over the Athletics on Wednesday.

The slugging backstop got it done via the small-ball route Wednesday, and his fourth-inning walk with the bases jammed extended the Mariners' lead to 5-0. Raleigh's multi-hit effort was also his first since May 15, but he's enjoying a productive second half of May that includes a .333 average, a double, two home runs and six RBI across his last eight games.

Bethancourt is not in the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 and caught the full game in Tampa Bay's win over the Jays on Wednesday night. Francisco Mejia will start behind the plate and bat ninth in Thursday's afternoon tilt.

Jansen will undergo an MRI on his injured left groin Thursday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Jansen injured his groin while running to first base during Wednesday's game against the Rays. The Blue Jays have Tyler Heineman with the club on the taxi squad in case he's needed to replace Jansen on the roster. They do have Daulton Varsho available as an emergency catcher, though, so they could wait it out with Jansen if they feel he'll be available in a day or two.

Heim went 0-for-4 with an RBI and a steal in Wednesday's victory over the Pirates.

Heim drove in Adolis Garcia on a fielder's choice in the first inning before swiping second base later in the frame. Heim's been struggling after a stellar start to the season, going just 1-for-23 over his last six games. The 27-year-old backstop is still slashing a solid .273/.331/.448 with six home runs, 27 runs scored and 33 RBI through 169 plate appearances this season.