MLB Player News

Bethancourt went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners on Thursday.

Bethancourt's first-inning single plated Sheldon Neuse to give the Athletics some early momentum, although the end result was another low-scoring loss for Oakland. The 30-year-old had been mired in a 2-for-21 funk that had encompassed the previous six games, but the backstop has still produced a solid .269 average and excellent .577 slugging percentage over 15 games in June.

Mejia is not starting Friday's contest versus the Pirates, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia will sit after going 1-for-8 with a double over the last two contests. Rene Pinto will get the start at catcher and bat eighth Friday.

Serven isn't starting Friday's game against the Twins, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Serven and Elias Diaz have split time behind the dish over the last few weeks, but Serven will retreat to the bench for a third consecutive game Friday. Diaz is starting at catcher and batting ninth.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Thursday in a 10-5 victory versus Cincinnati.

Smith hit one of five Dodgers homers in the contest, going deep to left field in the seventh inning. The long ball was the 10th of the season for Smith, which is tied for third among big-league catchers. Smith is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, during which he is slashing .409/.417/.727 with two homers, four RBI and three runs.

Perez (thumb) will undergo surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb and was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday.

Perez will be out for an extended period of time following his operation, but the Royals expect him to return at some point this season. He suffered the injury in Tuesday's victory over the Angels, aggravating the same thumb he hurt earlier this season. MJ Melendez will take over as the primary option behind the plate, backed up by Cam Gallagher, while Edward Olivares (quadriceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday. With the Royals out of playoff contention, the team will likely work Perez back slowly to avoid any sort of setback.

Heineman went 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Cubs on Thursday.

Heineman started for the second time in Pittsburgh's last five games and appears to be in a timeshare with Michael Perez. Heineman collected multiple hits in a start for the third time this season, highlighted by an RBI single in the sixth frame. Despite the decent performance, he's hitting a dreadful .184/.244/.237 across 84 plate appearances on the season, although that's still a small step up from Perez's .127/.184/.254 line.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Padres.

Realmuto hit the second of the Phillies two sixth-inning blasts off Padres starter Joe Musgrove. The homer was Realmuto's first extra-base hit since June 12 and his first long ball since May 26 as he's struggled to generate much power lately. The catcher is slashing .240/.318/.358 with four homers, 27 RBI, 33 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 11 doubles and two triples through 258 plate appearances.

Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an RBI double in Thursday's 4-0 win over the White Sox.

Rutschman opened the scoring with his fourth-inning blast, and he added the RBI double as insurance in the sixth. The top prospect is starting to put bat to ball effectively, as he's notched two homers and five doubles in his last seven contests while going 9-for-25 (.360) in that span. The surge has lifted his season slash line to .222/.287/.394 with a pair of homers, seven RBI, 12 runs scored, nine doubles and a triple through 108 plate appearances.

McCann (wrist) is traveling to Miami and is expected to be activated from the injured list Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McCann has been on a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton since June 16 and collected six hits in 21 at-bats. He should return to his role as the Mets' primary catcher, though he was hitting just .196/.266/.286 across 64 plate appearances prior to going down.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

Chicago's catching situation has been tough to pin down of late. After McGuire made three consecutive starts behind the plate from June 12 through 14, Seby Zavala caught each of the team's next three contests. McGuire then caught three of the White Sox's four games since Sunday, but he'll be back on the bench for Thursday's series opener in favor of Zavala. Though McGuire represents the superior defender of the two, Zavala has thus far showed a more potent bat in a limited sample of MLB action.