MLB Player News

Bethancourt will sit Friday against the Royals, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bethancourt may be falling into a small-side platoon role, as his off day here against Zack Greinke means he's now sat against the last three righties Oakland has faced. That followed a run of five straight starts against righties, however. Sheldon Neuse will be the first baseman Friday.

Maldonado will be on the bench Friday against the Yankees.

Maldonado has typically handled a heavy workload behind the plate, but he now finds himself on the bench for the third time in the last five games. Despite his defensive prowess, it's tough to be an everyday player when you hit .147/.221/.282. Jason Castro will again start at catcher Friday.

McCann (wrist) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday but isn't starting against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McCann recently completed a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton, where he hit .286 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI over five games. While Tomas Nido is starting behind the dish Friday, McCann should serve as the Mets' primary catcher now that he's fully healthy.

D'Arnaud isn't starting Friday against the Dodgers.

D'Arnaud will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a strikeout in Thursday's win over San Francisco. William Contreras is starting behind the plate and batting sixth.

Trevino isn't starting Friday against the Astros.

Trevino started in the last two games and went 3-for-9 with a homer, two runs and two RBI. Kyle Higashioka is starting behind the plate and batting ninth.

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.