MLB Player News

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Even after Houston dealt for an established everyday catcher in Christian Vazquez ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, Maldonado has remained the Astros' No. 1 backstop. Though Vazquez is behind the dish Thursday, Maldonado has dominated the playing time, catching in four of the previous five contests. Aside from popping the occasional home run, Maldonado's fantasy utility is limited, but his defensive acumen and chemistry with the pitching staff should continue to earn him ample opportunities for Houston.

Zavala will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Astros.

Though Zavala is nominally the White Sox's No. 2 catcher, Yasmani Grandal's underwhelming production has allowed Zavala to pick up more playing time than anticipated. With Grandal resting for the series finale, Zavala will catch for the third time in five games. For the season, the 28-year-old backstop owns a .287/.331/.410 slash line over 135 plate appearances.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Grandal will be getting a breather after he started each of the past three games -- two at catcher and one as a designated hitter -- while going 2-for-9 with two walks. Though Grandal remains the White Sox's top option behind the plate, his grip on the No. 1 role has loosened while he's submitted a disappointing .565 OPS over 283 plate appearances on the season in addition to missing time due to injury. Seby Zavala will catch for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito on Thursday.

Serven is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Serven has taken over as the Rockies' clear No. 1 catcher since Elias Diaz (wrist) landed on the injured list last Friday, but the 27-year-old will need a breather as the Rockies and Cardinals close their series with a day game after a night game. While starting in five of the past six games, Serven went 3-for-16 with a home run, a double, two walks, three RBI and an additional run.

Raleigh went 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Angels.

Raleigh launched a solo shot in the fifth inning, then a two-run homer in the ninth that scored J.P. Crawford. The catcher is up to 18 home runs on the year and four for the month. Raleigh has struggled for consistency, picking up 10 hits this month while also striking out 14 times. His batting average now sits at .208, the highest it has been since it was .211 on July 30.

Barnes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 2-1 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Barnes started in place of No. 1 catcher Will Smith, and he produced the first run of the contest with a solo shot to center field in the sixth inning. It was the first home run for the backstop since he went deep against Philadelphia on May 21. Barnes has had a rough season at the plate but has been better of late, slashing .280/.333/.440 over his past seven games.

Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Rangers.

Langliers crushed an 0-2 curveball over the right-field fence in the eighth inning for his first career home run. The rookie now has extra-base hits in each of his two starts this season, picking up right where he left off in Triple-A, where he maintained a .510 slugging percentage. Oakland currently boasts one of the better offensive catchers in the majors in Sean Murphy, so Langliers figures to continue filling in as the designated hitter or slotting in behind the dish during Murphy's off days.

Murphy went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs, three RBI and three total runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Rangers.

The veteran catcher was no match for Cole Ragans, as he tagged the southpaw for two home runs on the night. He also hit a double in the top of the eighth for his third extra-base hit of the night. Murphy is now slashing .251/.327/.450 on the season and is top three among all catchers in HR, RBI and runs.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Perez (hamstring) may receive full medical clearance for the start of winter ball, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

After undergoing surgery May 20 to repair a ruptured right hamstring, Perez won't be a candidate to return from the 60-day IL before the end of the season, but his projected 6-to-9-month recovery timeline gives him a chance at being ready to play in December. The native Puerto Rican could elect to play winter ball on his home island or perhaps elsewhere in Latin America this winter with the hope of proving his health and securing a contract with an MLB team ahead of spring training. The 33-year-old backstop posted a .700 OPS in 69 plate appearances for the Pirates before sustaining the season-ending injury.

Bart is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak during which he's gone 15-for-31 with two home runs, five RBI and five runs, and he'll take a seat for Wednesday's contest. Austin Wynns will step in behind the plate and bat ninth.