MLB Player News

Kirk is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Though he'll take a seat Wednesday, Kirk may have inched ahead of Danny Jansen as the Blue Jays' preferred backstop. The rookie made a splash while starting behind the dish in the first two games of the series, going 5-for-7 with a home run and a double. Jansen, meanwhile, has two extra-base hits in his last 16 games combined.

Garver will sit Wednesday against the Tigers.

Garver has been quite disappointing at the plate this season, as his .152/.240/.242 slash line could hardly be more different from his .273/.365/.630 line from his breakout 2019 campaign. He did at least hit his second homer of the year Tuesday, however. He won't get to follow that performance up here, as it will be Ryan Jeffers who gets the nod behind the plate.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Vazquez hits the bench despite homering Tuesday. Kevin Plawecki takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Stassi will receive a breather one day after turning in his best game of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win, during which he went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Anthony Bemboom will draw the starting nod behind the dish Wednesday, but Stassi should be back as the Angels' starting catcher in Friday's series opener against the Dodgers.

Grandal (hand) remains on the bench Tuesday against Cleveland.

Grandal exited Monday's game with a bruised hand and did not start Tuesday's contest, though he did appear off the bench. That would suggest he's not far from being able to return to the lineup, though the White Sox have already clinched a playoff spot, so they have very little reason to rush him.

Perez went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Mets.

Though Perez returned to the lineup after a two-game absence, he'll likely see his starting opportunities dwindle during the remainder of the regular season and the Rays' subsequent playoff run. Mike Zunino (oblique) was reinstated from the injured list over the weekend and is slated to take over as the Rays' No. 1 catcher.

Huff went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Diamondbacks.

The Rangers are giving opportunities to young players over the final weeks of the season, and Huff was part of a lineup whose average age was 24 years, 145 days. Six of the nine players were rookies and three never played above High-A. It was also the first batting order that failed to produce a run this season. All of those facts should sound an alarm for anyone considering streaming a Texas starter over the final five game. Huff, who has hit safely in three straight games, has been alternating every other game along with veteran Jeff Mathis.

Vazquez went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's win over Baltimore.

Vazquez made the most of his lone hit, blasting a fastball from reliever Evan Phillips straight into left center field. It was Vazquez's sixth homer of the season and eventually iced the game for Boston. This homer pushed Vazquez's hitting streak to three games. The backstop has been one of Boston's most reliable hitters of late -- he has hit safely in seven of the team's last 10 games with a .292 average (12-for-41) in that span.

Stassi went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI to lead the Angels to a victory over San Diego on Tuesday.

Stassi supplied most of the offense in the 4-2 win, smashing a solo homer in the second inning and slugging a two-run shot in the sixth. The performance gives him seven long balls on the season, just one shy of his career-high mark set in over 150 fewer at-bats with Houston two seasons ago. Stassi's four-hit game also helped him raise his batting average 37 points to .293.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Mariners.

Maldonado finished the Astros' five-run rally in the sixth inning with his blast off Mariners reliever Brandon Brennan. It was the sixth homer of the year for Maldonado, who has added 24 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base in 158 plate appearances.