MLB Player News

Zavala went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Twins.

Zavala had been out of the lineup for the team's last three games since the return of Yasmani Grandal. Zavala tallied a two-run single with position player Nick Gordon on the mound in the eighth inning of the blowout 13-0 win. He will find regular plate appearances hard to come by so long as Grandal is healthy, but Zavala has maintained a strong .276/.349/.388 line across 174 plate appearances on the season.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and four total RBI in a 12-1 win against the Padres on Saturday.

Smith gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead with his run-scoring double in the third inning, and he landed the finishing blow with his three-run shot to center field in the sixth. The big performance snapped a four-game mini-slump during which the backstop went 0-for-11. Smith leads MLB catchers with 79 RBI on the campaign, and his 20 homers are third at the position behind Willson Contreras and Cal Raleigh.

Rutschman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Athletics.

Rutschman accounted for the Orioles' last two runs in the game with an RBI single in the sixth inning and a solo shot in the eighth. Prior to this two-hit effort, he'd gone 0-for-11 with two walks in his last four games. He'd gone 11 contests without a multi-hit effort. For the year, the rookie catcher is slashing a steady .247/.355/.435 with nine homers, 28 RBI, 54 runs scored and three stolen bases. He's also shown a good eye at the plate with a 17.3 percent strikeout rate and a 13.6 percent walk rate through 346 plate appearances.

Barnhart went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Royals.

Barnhart hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning and added his eighth double for good measure. The catcher had just seven homers last year, so power wasn't really expected, though his OPS has also dropped from .685 to .547. As a result of Barnhart's offensive struggles, Eric Haase (abdomen) has overtaken him as the primary option behind the plate for the Tigers.

McCann went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals.

McCann tried to spark the Mets' offense in the fifth inning, but Brandon Nimmo couldn't bring him home after the catcher's two-out steal. This was McCann's third steal of the season, putting him one back of his career high from 2019. He's added a paltry .188/.243/.273 slash line, two home runs, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and five doubles in 46 contests this season. The 32-year-old has just one multi-hit effort in 16 games since returning from an oblique injury Aug. 4.

Jeffers (thumb) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday.

The move should have no impact on Jeffers' eventual return date. He'll be eligible to return in mid-September, but he isn't expected to have a chance to return until the last few days of the month.

Nola will sit Saturday against the Dodgers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola hits the bench for the second time in three games. Luis Campusano will start behind the plate.

Maldonado isn't starting Saturday against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday but will be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Christian Vazquez is starting behind the plate and batting fifth.

Narvaez isn't starting Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Narvaez has alternated starts behind the dish recently and will head to the bench since Victor Caratini is starting at catcher and batting eighth Saturday. Over his last four games, Narvaez has gone 2-for-12 with two runs, an RBI, three walks and a strikeout.

Wallach was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Wallach has been in the minors since late May but will rejoin the active roster after Kurt Suzuki was placed on the bereavement list Saturday. The Angels also have Max Stassi and Matt Thaiss available to start behind the dish, so Wallach should serve as additional depth at catcher until Suzuki rejoins the team.