MLB Player News

Moreno is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

Moreno is on the bench for the third time in four games and may have to settle for a part-time role at catcher behind Alejandro Kirk, even while fellow backstop Danny Jansen (finger) remains stuck on the 10-day injured list. Though Moreno has more than held his own at the plate in a limited sample of 24 MLB plate appearances (.808 OPS), Kirk continues to produce at a high level in his own right. The Blue Jays likely aren't keen on regularly including both of their backstops in the lineup and leaving no catcher available off the bench, so Moreno looks like he'll be limited to a backup duties more often than not.

The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

While serving as the Rangers' backup catcher and as a depth option at first base and designated hitter, Huff had started in only three of the Rangers' last nine games. With top DH Mitch Garver (illness) returning from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday, Huff's opportunities were likely to grow scarcer, so the Rangers opted to return the 24-year-old to Round Rock to play on a more regular basis. In a corresponding move, the Rangers called up Meibrys Viloria from Round Rock to take over as the No. 2 backstop behind Jonah Heim.

The Rangers reinstated Garver (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday. He'll serve as Texas' designated hitter and No. 5 batter in the series opener against the Phillies.

Fellow backstop Sam Huff was sent to Triple-A Round Rock to clear room for Garver, who hasn't yet been cleared to resume catching while he works to regain full strength in his right elbow following a stint on the IL back in May. Until Garver's elbow isn't hindering him while he throws behind the plate, he's expected to start on a near-everyday basis as the Rangers' DH. He was sidelined for about a week and a half following a positive COVID-19 test, but Garver has since regained conditioning and looked good during his one-game rehab assignment at Round Rock over the weekend.

Trevino is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Rays.

Trevino doesn't appear to be the true No. 1 option behind the plate at the moment, as he and Kyle Higashioka have alternated starts over the last 14 games. Higashioka starts Tuesday, but expect Trevino back Wednesday if the pattern continues.

Barnhart will sit Tuesday against Boston.

Barnhart has started just three times in the last seven games, while Tuesday's catcher, Eric Haase, has started five times over that stretch, including once as the designated hitter. While Barnhart's .529 OPS suggests he may deserve to see his playing time slip, Haase's .605 mark isn't much better, so the recent shift in workloads may be a temporary one.

The Astros promoted Diaz from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz makes the jump to Triple-A after slashing .316/.367/.504 with nine home runs and 48 RBI across 267 plate appearances at Corpus Christi. At Sugar Land, he'll be part of a catching group that includes one of the Astros' other top prospects in Korey Lee. Since Diaz also made starts at first base as well as the corner-outfield spots during his time at Corpus Christi, Lee still appears likely to see most of the work behind the plate.

Grandal (back) progressed substantially over the weekend, but he is expected to go on a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the injured list, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Grandal stayed in Chicago for the team's weekend series at Houston to receive treatment. General manager Rick Hahn was positive when speaking about the progress Grandal made in that span, implying that Grandal would be reevaluated in the middle of this week with the potential of resuming batting practice as well as playing in sim games. Hahn also made clear that he prefers Grandal to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated. That likely puts Grandal's return in early July at the earliest.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-2 win over the Angels.

Perez went 0-for-8 across his last two games, but he snapped that small skid Monday. His biggest hit was his eighth-inning two-run blast to give the Royals a three-run lead. The catcher has homered five times in 18 games in June while batting .257 (18-for-70). For the season, he's up to a .212/.252/.428 slash line with 11 long balls, 34 RBI, 25 runs scored and 13 doubles in 234 plate appearances.

Jansen (finger) hit off a tee and played catch Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen was cleared to perform minimal baseball activities last week and was able to ramp up his activities Monday. It's not yet clear when he 27-year-old will be able to return from the injured list, but he's made good progress recently.

Stassi isn't starting Monday's game against the Royals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stassi will get a breather after he went 1-for-7 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout over the last two games. Kurt Suzuki is starting behind the plate and batting seventh.