MLB Player News

Thaiss (undisclosed) was activated from the 7-day injured list for Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Thaiss has been out for two weeks with an unspecified issue, but he's good to go again now. He hit a modest .226/.300/.452 in 17 games prior to the injury and probably has to show more than that if he's to push for a return to the majors.

Rutschman is starting at catcher and batting sixth Saturday against the Rays.

Rutschman's contract was selected by the Orioles on Saturday, and he'll bat sixth during his major-league debut. The 24-year-old appeared in 19 minor-league games to begin the year and slashed .309/.427/.515 with three homers, five doubles, 12 runs and nine RBI. The highly touted prospect is in line to serve as the Orioles' everyday catcher now that he's on the big-league roster.

Maldonado will sit Saturday against the Rangers.

Maldonado has handled a heavy workload behind the plate as usual this season despite the fact that he hasn't done much with his bat. He's hit .121/.206/.242, but his 29 games started as a catcher rank third in the league. Jason Castro will start in Maldonado's place Saturday.

Trevino isn't starting Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Trevino has started exclusively against right-handed pitchers this year, and he'll get a breather with southpaw Dallas Keuchel starting for the White Sox on Saturday. Kyle Higashioka will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Bemboom was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bemboom saw sporadic playing time with the Orioles, and he hit just .115 with a homer, two doubles, four runs and an RBI over 22 games. He'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster after Adley Rutschman's contract was selected Saturday.

Rutschman's contract was selected by the Orioles on Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman was the No. 1 overall pick 2019 and is one of the top prospects in baseball. The 24-year-old missed the first few weeks of the minor-league season in 2022 due to a triceps injury, but he was promoted to Triple-A Norfolk in early May. He hit .233 with three homers, seven RBI and five runs over 12 games in Norfolk, and he's in line to serve as Baltimore's primary catcher now that he's been called up to the big leagues.

Stassi (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Inland Empire on Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi has been on the COVID-19 injured list for a week and a half and said that he felt sick for three or four days last week. However, he rejoined the Angels on Friday and participated in workouts. He expects to play in at least two rehab games, and it seems likely that the backstop will be activated from the injured list early next week.

Moreno's elbow injury was confirmed to be a minor one after tests Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Moreno left his game with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday after getting hit by a pitch, but imaging was negative Friday, and the Blue Jays don't appear to be overly concerned. He may have to wait a few days for swelling and soreness to subside, but the issue shouldn't significantly impact his push for a big-league roster spot.

Murphy (shoulder) has suffered a setback in his recovery process, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The Mariners were hopeful that Murphy would be able to return from the injured list during the team's weekend series in Boston since the backstop recently took swings in the batting cage and caught a bullpen session. However, he won't be back in action this weekend following his setback. It's not yet clear whether Murphy will be in the mix to be activated once the Mariners return home early next week.

Jeffers will sit Friday against the Royals, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Jeffers is the clear number one option behind the plate in Minnesota this season, starting 23 games compared to 15 for Gary Sanchez. When you factor in the pair's starts at the designated hitter spot, though, Sanchez now has the edge in total games in the lineup, getting the nod 28 times to Jeffers' 27 after his inclusion as Friday's starting catcher.