MLB Player News

Bethancourt went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners on Thursday.

Bethancourt's first-inning single plated Sheldon Neuse to give the Athletics some early momentum, although the end result was another low-scoring loss for Oakland. The 30-year-old had been mired in a 2-for-21 funk that had encompassed the previous six games, but the backstop has still produced a solid .269 average and excellent .577 slugging percentage over 15 games in June.

Mejia is not starting Friday's contest versus the Pirates, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia will sit after going 1-for-8 with a double over the last two contests. Rene Pinto will get the start at catcher and bat eighth Friday.

Perez (thumb) will undergo surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb and was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday.

Perez will be out for an extended period of time following his operation, but the Royals expect him to return at some point this season. He suffered the injury in Tuesday's victory over the Angels, aggravating the same thumb he hurt earlier this season. MJ Melendez will take over as the primary option behind the plate, backed up by Cam Gallagher, while Edward Olivares (quadriceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday. With the Royals out of playoff contention, the team will likely work Perez back slowly to avoid any sort of setback.

Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an RBI double in Thursday's 4-0 win over the White Sox.

Rutschman opened the scoring with his fourth-inning blast, and he added the RBI double as insurance in the sixth. The top prospect is starting to put bat to ball effectively, as he's notched two homers and five doubles in his last seven contests while going 9-for-25 (.360) in that span. The surge has lifted his season slash line to .222/.287/.394 with a pair of homers, seven RBI, 12 runs scored, nine doubles and a triple through 108 plate appearances.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

Chicago's catching situation has been tough to pin down of late. After McGuire made three consecutive starts behind the plate from June 12 through 14, Seby Zavala caught each of the team's next three contests. McGuire then caught three of the White Sox's four games since Sunday, but he'll be back on the bench for Thursday's series opener in favor of Zavala. Though McGuire represents the superior defender of the two, Zavala has thus far showed a more potent bat in a limited sample of MLB action.

Murphy went 2-for-4 in a loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.

Murphy's fourth multi-hit effort in the last 12 games pushed his slash line over that span to .302/.375/.558 across 48 plate appearances. The 27-year-old backstop's .216 average and .291 on-base percentage for the season still have plenty of room for improvement, but both figures are certainly on an upswing at the moment thanks to his hot hitting.

Murphy (shoulder) will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Murphy sustained his shoulder injury in early May and suffered a setback several weeks later. The 31-year-old started to ramp up his rehab process recently after being shut down and received a PRP injection, but he'll ultimately require a procedure that will force him to miss the remainder of the season. Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens should continue to serve as the Mariners' top two options behind the dish.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Luis Torrens will get the nod behind the dish for the day game after Raleigh started at catcher in each of the Mariners' previous four contests. Raleigh went 1-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season, a walk and an additional run in Wednesday's 9-0 triumph.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.

Jeffers will get a breather for the day game after catching in both of the Twins' last two contests while going 4-for-7 with two doubles, a walk, two runs and two RBI. Gary Sanchez will step in behind the dish for Jeffers while Alex Kirilloff serves as Minnesota's designated hitter.

Hedges will sit Thursday versus the Twins.

Hedges will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with a solo home run in the first two games of the series. Luke Maile will draw the start at catcher and bat eighth in the series finale.