MLB Player News

The Orioles optioned Handley to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Handley arrived in the majors Saturday to provide insurance behind the plate after Adley Rutschman (ankle) landed on the IL, but the former will now return to the minors without playing a game for the O's. Sam Huff will now take over the backup catching jobCameron Foster was recalled from Norfolk in a corresponding move.

Wynns will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Rangers.

With Shea Langeliers handling one of the heavier workloads among all catchers this season, Wynns has seen sparse action through the first three weeks of the campaign. Wynns will be included in the starting nine Thursday for just the fifth time in the Athletics' first 19 contests.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

It's a routine day off for Naylor, who started at catcher the previous two contests. Austin Hedges will be behind the dish and bat eighth Thursday as the Guardians open up a homestand.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Jansen will receive a breather for Thursday's matinee game after he started behind the dish both of the previous two nights. Kyle Higashioka will step in at catcher and form a battery with starting pitcher Jack Leiter in the series finale.

Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers.

With Tyler Heineman getting cleared to start behind the dish after a recent bout with back spasms, Valenzuela will head to the bench after he had handled catching duties in each of the prior five games. Since Alejandro Kirk (thumb) is likely to remain on the shelf for at least another month, Valenzuela should stick on the big-league roster a little while longer, but he may not be in store for much better than an even split of playing time behind the plate with a healthy Heineman.

D'Arnaud will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Top backstop Logan O'Hoppe will get a breather for the day game after playing nine innings behind the plate in a 5-4 loss Wednesday night, paving the way for d'Arnaud to receive a turn behind the plate. D'Arnaud will be making just his fourth start of the season after going 1-for-10 with a double and a run scored through his first three games.

O'Hoppe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After going 1-for-4 with a solo home run -- his first of the season -- while catching nine innings behind the plate in a 5-4 loss Wednesday night, O'Hoppe will get a breather for Thursday's matinee game. Travis d'Arnaud will handle catching duties for the Halos in the series finale.

Hicks went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to Atlanta.

The 26-year-old backstop had gone 12 straight games without leaving the yard after a power surge in the first week of the season, but Hicks got hold of an Osvaldo Bido slider in the eighth inning Wednesday and ripped it down the right-field line for his fourth homer of the year. Hicks has been playing nearly every day between catcher (10 games), first base (six games) and DH (three games), slashing .309/.355/.545 with a stunning 18 RBI, two behind MLB leader Andy Pages.

Heineman (back) is starting at catcher and batting ninth Thursday against the White Sox.

It will be Heineman's first start behind the plate since April 8, as Brandon Valenzuela has been handling catching duties for Toronto with both Alejandro Kirk (thumb) and Heineman banged up. Across 20 trips to the plate this season, Heineman is slashing .333/.400/.333 with zero extra-base hits or RBI, three runs scored and a 1:3 BB:K.

Giants manager Tony Vitello indicated Thursday that Bailey could split catching duties with Daniel Susac moving forward, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey remains an elite defensive catcher, but he's a black hole offensively and has gotten off to a particularly rough start in 2026, slashing just .136/.191/.136. Meanwhile, Susac is 9-for-16 at the dish to open his career. Ultimately, there's a good chance neither of the Giants' top two catchers will do enough offensively to warrant being rostered outside of deep fantasy leagues.