MLB Player News

Wong will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Tigers, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Though he appeared to be in the short side of a platoon at catcher with the lefty-hitting Reese McGuire to begin the season, Wong seems to have at least temporarily emerged as the Red Sox's preferred backstop against both right- and left-handed pitching. Wong will be starting again with the Tigers bringing a lefty (Matthew Boyd) to the hill for the second straight day, but the 26-year-old catcher also started over McGuire on two of the last four occasions Boston opposed right-handed pitchers. Wong is hitting just .125/.176/.188 through 17 plate appearances, but he seems to be earning extra time on the basis of McGuire's inability to control the run game. Despite logging only 36 innings behind the dish this season, McGuire has allowed a league-leading 14 stolen bases and hasn't thrown out a would-be base stealer.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The lefty-hitting McGuire will sit for the fifth time in seven games, with three absences coming against lefty pitchers and two coming against righties. McGuire has posted an .819 OPS over a small sample of 14 plate appearances, but his inability to control the run game appears to be the major reason why manager Alex Cora has favored Connor Wong as Boston's top backstop. Despite being behind the plate just 36 innings on the season, McGuire has allowed an MLB-leading 14 steals and has yet to throw out a baserunner.

The Orioles reinstated McCann (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.

McCann spent just over the minimum 10 days on the shelf due to the left oblique strain he suffered back on March 20 in the latter stages of spring training. He'll settle in as the primary backup to standout catcher Adley Rutschman, though McCann doesn't project to play more than a couple times per week. The Orioles also have a third catcher (Anthony Bemboom) on the 26-man active roster for the moment, as Baltimore chose to option outfielder Kyle Stowers to the minors to make room for McCann.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters after Saturday's loss to the Padres that d'Arnaud is expected to go on the 7-day concussion IL, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The concussion occurred after d'Arnaud collided with Rougned Odor at home plate. The 34-year-old backstop will miss at least a week while recovering, but there's no guarantee he'll be ready to return after that week. Sean Murphy will see the majority of playing time behind the plate while he recovers.

D'Arnaud left Saturday's game against the Padres with a potential injury, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The backstop was involved in two collisions at home plate and was replaced by Sean Murphy. Atlanta hasn't given an update on d'Arnaud's condition as of yet, and it's likely due to the 34-year-old undergoing tests.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 victory over the Giants.

Perez turned a 5-2 deficit into a 5-5 game with a three-run homer off Ross Stripling in the eighth inning. The backstop has shown off his impressive power to start the year with two homers along with a .533 slugging percentage over 30 at-bats in eight games. As long as he's able to stay on the field, there's no reason to think Perez won't continue to be a supplier of long balls in 2023.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters before Saturday's game that Hedges (concussion) caught a bullpen and will hit in the cage, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Shelton notes that Hedges is "trending in the right direction." The backstop is on the seven-day injured list while dealing with a concussion, and while he has made progress there's, no timetable for his return.

McCann (oblique) will catch Saturday for High-A Aberdeen and could return to the Orioles on Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

McCann begin his rehab assignment with Aberdeen on Friday and singled twice. The backup backstop has been on the shelf since the start of the year with his oblique strain, and even if he doesn't return Sunday, he should be back with the club early in the next week if there are no setbacks.

Stallings was scratched from the lineup Saturday against the Mets with back tightness, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stallings will miss the game with Nick Fortes taking over behind the plate. For now, Stallings should be considered day-to-day, but there's a chance he misses Sunday's contest against the Mets as well.

Manager Buck Showalter said Alvarez, who isn't in the lineup Saturday versus the Marlins, will start Sunday's series finale, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Alvarez was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday but has been limited to bench duties in his first two games with the big club. The 21-year-old is poised to see significant playing time between catcher and designated hitter with Omar Narvaez (calf) set to be sidelined for the next two-plus months. Tomas Nido is working behind the plate again Saturday.