MLB Player News

Langeliers is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

The Athletics are easing Langeliers back into things after he returned from knee surgery. This will be his second day off in five games, and all three of his starts have been at designated hitter. Jeff McNeil will serve as the DH in Thursday's series finale.

Basallo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in the win versus the Mets on Wednesday.

One pitch after Christian Encarnacion-Strand crushed a two-run homer in the third inning, Basallo launched his 18th long ball of the campaign. It was the first homer of September for the rookie backstop, who ended a 17-game power drought. The 22-year-old entered Wednesday's contest with a .493 OPS in 25 contests since the All-Star break.

Basallo (shoulder) will start at catcher and bat sixth Wednesday against the Mets, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Basallo sat out Tuesday's contest due to a lingering shoulder issue, but he appears to be feeling well enough to return to the starting nine Wednesday. The 22-year-old has experienced a sharp drop in production recently, slashing just .143/.273/.143 with two RBI and three runs scored across 33 plate appearances since the beginning of September.

Heim is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

The 31-year-old will yield to Brian Serven behind the plate after catching three of the Athletics' last four games. Heim has hit 12 homers in 85 games with the A's this season, but he has been in a funk of late, slashing .175/.195/.275 with just one long ball so far in September.

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Tigers.

Kirk was behind the dish for the first two games of the series, so he'll be given some rest during Wednesday's matinee. Brandon Valenzuela will do the catching and will bat eighth as the Blue Jays look to avoid the sweep.

The White Sox optioned Quero to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.

He's clearing off the active roster in order to make space for the return of Tommy Pham (calf) from the injured list. Quero went hitless in five plate appearances during his most recent stint in the majors.

Diaz served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox.

Diaz delivered a pair of runs with a second-inning double to kick off a four-run inning for the Rangers. The catcher has been productive in September and could see more opportunities at DH as the Rangers compete for a postseason berth. Diaz has an .805 OPS with nine RBI over 11 games this month.

Dingler is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Dingler started the previous two games but will hit the bench for Tuesday's contest. He's without a multi-hit performance since Aug. 6 and has a .351 OPS during that 31-game stretch. Eduardo Valencia is working behind the plate and batting fifth versus Toronto opener Braydon Fisher.

Basallo (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Mets.

It's the second straight day Basallo has been out of the Orioles' lineup, and he has started only five of the past 12 contests. Basallo missed almost a month of action at the beginning of the second half with right shoulder inflammation, and manager Craig Albernaz noted Monday that Basallo's shoulder is still giving him issues, per Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com. The Orioles could eventually opt to shut Basallo down, but Albernaz has indicated it's not under consideration just yet. Yohel Pozo is doing the catching for Baltimore on Tuesday.

The Rays optioned Piper to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.

Piper has served as Tampa Bay's third catcher for nearly a month, but he received just one start and six plate appearances during that stretch.