MLB Player News
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Jair Camargo C | MIN
Twins' Jair Camargo: Loses 40-man roster spot
The Twins designated Camargo for assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow catcher Jhonny Pereda, whom Minnesota claimed off waivers from the Athletics. Camargo has slashed just .212/.258/.319 with a 38.3 percent strikeout rate this season at Triple-A St. Paul.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Makes immediate impact in return
Alvarez went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Angels.
Called back up from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, Alvarez got a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd when he came to the plate for his first at-bat, and the 23-year-old catcher rewarded the Mets' faithful with a strong overall performance that included throwing out Zach Neto on a steal attempt in the seventh inning. Alvarez has a brutal start to the season both offensively and defensively but is just two years removed from a 25-homer campaign, and he appeared to regain his power stroke at Syracuse, launching 11 long balls in only 19 games with a 1.233 OPS. The Mets will give him every opportunity to re-establish himself as the franchise's backstop of the present and future over the final months of 2025.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Slugs two homers in victory
Perez went 2-for-5 with a pair of two-run home runs in a 12-4 win versus the Cubs on Monday.
Perez cleared the wall twice in the contest, belting a two-run homer in the fourth inning and another two-run shot in the eighth. The veteran backstop has gone deep four times in his past three games and has batted .467 (7-for-15) with six RBI in his first four contests coming out of the All-Star break. After a slow start to the season, Perez is up to 17 homers on the campaign, and his 60 RBI ranks second most among big-league backstops.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Launches pair of homers
Smith went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Monday's 5-2 win over the Twins.
Smith took David Festa deep in the fourth and sixth innings for the catcher's first multi-homer effort of the season. While he hasn't hit for a ton of power, Smith has often collected his homers in bunches, including six of them over a 12-game span from June 17 to July 4. He continues to be a steady bat in the heart of the order, slashing .326/.424/.556 with 15 homers, 48 RBI, 49 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases through 78 contests.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Goes deep in loss
Kelly went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 12-4 loss to the Royals.
While Kansas City's offense broke the game open, Kelly still managed to turn in his own solid effort. The Chicago catcher is now up to 13 home runs for the season, and he's been hot in July with a .350 batting average and four long balls in 12 games. The return of Miguel Amaya (oblique) may cut into Kelly's playing time a little bit, though the latter has earned a sizeable role due to his strong production at the plate.
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Drake Baldwin C | ATL
Braves' Drake Baldwin: Notches career-best six RBI
Baldwin went 3-for-4 with two doubles, six RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 9-5 win over San Francisco.
The rookie backstop gave his team a 3-1 lead when he plated three runs on double in the first. Baldwin then returned in the fourth to knock home two more on a single before wrapping his career night by driving home one on a double in the sixth. Thanks to a solid .290/.358/.488 slash line with 11 homers, eight doubles, 39 RBI and 25 runs scored in 229 total plate appearances, Baldwin is emerging as a favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
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Ethan Salas C | SD
Padres' Ethan Salas: Slow to heal from back injury
Salas is healing from a stress fracture in his back slower than the Padres anticipated, and he remains without an official timeline for a return to game action, Kyle Glaser of the Foul Territory Network reports.
According to Padres team officials, Salas hasn't experienced any setbacks in his recovery from the injury, which initially forced him to Double-A San Antonio's 7-day injured list April 26. The 19-year-old backstop has been able to stay in shape by catching from a pitching machine and taking part in individual workouts, but he's not yet been cleared for rotational work. According to Glaser, Salas is unlikely to play again this season, but the Padres aren't officially closing the door on him being activated if he's able to make major strides in his recovery over the next few weeks.
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Jose Herrera C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jose Herrera: Resting Monday
Herrera is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
After starting in three of the Diamondbacks' previous four games, Herrera will get a breather for the series opener. James McCann will handle catching duties Monday for Arizona.
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Jonah Heim C | TEX
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Sitting in favor of Higashioka
Heim is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.
Texas has been opening playing time for both Heim and Kyle Higashioka of late by frequently using one at catcher and one at designated hitter, but the former will be left out of the starting nine Monday while Cody Freeman gets a look at DH. Though Heim should continue to see a fair share of starts moving forward, the Rangers seem to be prioritizing Higashioka a little bit more. Higashioka is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak and will stick in the lineup for a seventh straight game, while Heim is on the bench for the third time during that stretch.