MLB Player News

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

Higashioka pushed the Padres in front for good with a solo blast off Cal Quantrill in the fifth inning for his 13th home run of the year. It's the fourth straight season the 34-year-old has reached 10-plus home runs, and he's now tied his career high with 34 RBI. Higashioka also has registered at least a hit in eight of his last nine starts, slashing .300/.344/.567 with seven RBI over that span.

Stallings went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Padres.

Stallings sent one out to left in the seventh for his second homer in as many games. The 34-year-old has three homers, eight RBI, six runs and a 4:4 BB:K over his last eight games. Stallings has a real chance to reach double-digit homers for the first time in his career. He's now slashing .270/.369/.471 with seven homers, 27 RBI, 23 runs and a 22:42 BB:K in 204 plate appearances.

Amaya went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

This was Amaya's first home run since July 13 and just his fourth of the year. The young catcher has yet to deliver a true offensive breakout at the MLB level with a career .215 average and .626 OPS across his first two seasons along with just nine total long balls. Working in Amaya's favor is a clear grip on the starting job at the moment, with light-hitting journeyman Christian Bethancourt as the only other backstop currently on the active roster.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday "there's a chance" Rodiguez (elbow) plays in minor-league games later this season, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The 24-year-old won't see the field for the Pirates this season as he makes his way back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in December, but seeing action in minor-league games would be an encouraging development heading into 2025. Rodriguez will be eased back in behind the plate and will instead see his initial work at first base and designated hitter in order to help him get more at-bats. He was spotted taking grounders in the infield prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Diaz will receive a breather after he had started behind the plate in the first two contests of the series. Jacob Stallings will handle catching duties Sunday for the Rockies.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith started the previous four games but will receive Sunday off in the midst of a 3-for-32 slump. Austin Barnes will step in behind the plate to catch for righty River Ryan.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

After a recent one-game absence due to a wrist injury, Moreno stepped back in behind the dish for the first two contests of the series in Pittsburgh, going 2-for-8 with a walk, a stolen base and a run. He'll get a breather for Sunday's finale while Jose Herrera handles catching duties.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Atlanta.

Fortes and Ali Sanchez have now alternated turns behind the plate over the Marlins' last eight games, with both backstops getting four starts apiece. Since the All-Star break, Fortes has posted a .902 OPS compared to Sanchez's .063 mark during that same stretch, so Fortes should still be viewed as the Marlins' preferred option at catcher.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Stephenson had started at either catcher or designated hitter in each of the Reds' last 10 games, so he'll be getting a well-deserved day off while Cincinnati and San Francisco wrap up their series with a game that begins at 12:05 p.m. ET. Luke Maile will check in behind the dish in place of Stephenson, who ended a 10-game streak without an extra-base hit by slugging two home runs in Saturday's 6-4 win.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win against San Francisco.

Stephenson kicked off the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning and added a three-run blast in the fourth. The homers were the first extra-base hits of any kind for the backstop over his past 11 games, and the four RBI were twice as many as he had accounted for over his previous 15 contests combined. This was Stephenson's second multi-homer performance of the campaign, and with his two long balls Saturday he's at 13 on the season, tying the career-high mark he established last year.