MLB Player News
-
Pedro Pages C | STL
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Sitting out Thursday
Pages is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Padres.
Pages started Wednesday's contest but has now yielded to Ivan Herrera at catcher in three of five games since Herrera was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Playing time between the two should be split fairly evenly while Willson Contreras (finger) is on the shelf.
-
William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Caps rally in win
Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Giants.
Contreras completed a five-run rally for the Brewers when he took Giants starter Kyle Harrison deep in the fifth inning. Contreras had been in a small rut, going 0-for-11 with three walks over his previous three games. The catcher is up to 18 homers, 76 RBI, 83 runs scored, five stolen bases and a .283/.359/.464 slash line through 128 contests this season.
-
Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Swats 16th homer
Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Higashioka has two home runs over his last five games, and he's hit four long balls while batting .224 over 17 contests in August. The catcher is up to 16 homers in just 66 games this season. He's added a .228/.275/.518 slash line with 43 RBI, 26 runs scored and one stolen base over 212 plate appearances. Higashioka is likely to continue sharing the catching duties with Luis Campusano, though a hot stretch at the plate for either backstop could lead to a corresponding uptick in playing time.
-
Patrick Bailey C | SF
Giants' Patrick Bailey: Set to return Thursday
Giants manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Bailey (oblique) is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday when first eligible, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The 25-year-old has been sidelined since Aug. 18 due to an oblique strain, but he'll rejoin the active roster Thursday after being sidelined for the 10-day minimum. Bailey was slumping in August prior to the injury with a .057/.089/.075 slash line in 15 games, but he'll attempt to close the month strong now that he's healthy.
-
Christian Bethancourt C | TOR
Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Spearheads comeback with seven RBI
Bethancourt drove in seven runs in Wednesday's comeback win over the Pirates, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, a stolen base and three runs scored.
Facing a 10-3 deficit in the seventh inning, Bethancourt slugged a two-run home run off Kyle Nicolas before driving in two more runs on an eighth-inning double. With the Cubs trailing 10-9 in the ninth inning, it was none other than Bethancourt who drove in two runs single to give the Cubs an 11-10 lead, completing the improbable comeback. The 32-year-old Bethancourt has been highly productive since being acquired by the Cubs in late July, batting .407 with three home runs, eight runs scored and 15 RBI in just 29 plate appearances (11 games) as the Cubs' backup catcher behind Miguel Amaya. Bethancourt has certainly made a strong case for more playing time behind the plate, but his career .622 OPS indicates regression is coming for the veteran.
-
Austin Barnes C | LAD
Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Likely to return Thursday
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Barnes (toe) is slated to be activated from the injured list Thursday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
As expected, Barnes will miss the minimum amount of time after being placed on the IL on Aug. 19. The backup catcher fractured his left big toe in a game against the Cardinals, and Hunter Feduccia has been filling in behind starting catcher Will Smith in Barnes' absence. Feduccia could be sent back to the minors upon Barnes' activation.
-
J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Receiving maintenance day
Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.
Realmuto will get a breather for Wednesday's afternoon contest after he caught all eight innings of Tuesday's 5-0 win while going 2-for-4 with a double. Garrett Stubbs will fill in for Realmuto behind the plate.
-
Miguel Amaya C | CHC
Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Sitting out afternoon game
Amaya is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.
Amaya was in the lineup for the first two games of the series, piling up six hits and driving in six runs. However, with the Cubs and Pirates playing a matinee for Wednesday's series finale, the hot-hitting catcher will grab a seat. Christian Bethancourt will start behind the plate for the Cubs.
-
Henry Davis C | PIT
Pirates' Henry Davis: First start since being recalled
Davis went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts Tuesday against the Cubs.
Davis was recalled to the majors Monday to replace Joey Bart (hamstring) on the roster. Davis drew his first start one day later, serving as the catcher while hitting ninth. He should get some opportunity for at-bats as long as Bart is sidelined, though it's unclear how playing time will be allocated between Davis and Yasmani Grandal.