MLB Player News

Teel did not begin a rehab assignment earlier this week as initially anticipated, as his right hamstring is "still grabbing at him a little bit" when he runs, Connor McKnight of the Chicago Sports Network reports.

Teel had been scheduled to kick off a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, but that's been pushed back. The catcher noted that his hamstring strain -- which he initially suffered in mid-March while playing for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic -- is "getting better every day," but it just isn't progressing as quickly as hoped. Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire will continue handling catching duties for the White Sox until Teel is ready.

Quero isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Quero will grab a seat on the bench Thursday after going 0-for-7 with two walks and two RBI over his last three games. Reese McGuire will handle catching duties instead and bat ninth.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

After going 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts over his last three games, Smith will step aside Thursday while the red-hot Dalton Rushing starts behind the plate and bats seventh.

Kelly will start at catcher and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Phillies.

The Cubs' initial lineup did not include Kelly, but he's in there in the updated version. Kelly is sporting a .310/.420/.466 batting line with a pair of homers and an 11:12 BB:K in the early going this season.

Kelly is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Phillies.

It's the first time this season Kelly has been out of the lineup for consecutive games, and he's now started just three of the last eight tilts. Miguel Amaya will draw a second straight start at catcher as the Cubs try to finish off a sweep.

Heim went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

The 30-year-old got the start at catcher and hit ninth for Atlanta, and Heim did an effective job of flipping the lineup over in an 8-6 victory. Heim quietly has a six-game hitting streak dating back to April 7, batting .304 (7-for-23) over that stretch with three doubles, two RBI and a run. Heim isn't guaranteed to lose his spot on the 26-man roster when Sean Murphy (hip) gets healthy, given Atlanta's tendency to keep Drake Baldwin's bat in the lineup at DH when he isn't catching.

Baldwin went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

The second-year backstop took Zack Littell deep in the first inning, kicking off an eight-run, four-homer barrage by Atlanta. Baldwin has left the yard in back-to-back games and seven times in his first 25 contests this season while compiling a stellar .320/.391/.563 slash line, 23 RBI and an MLB-leading 26 runs.

Trevino (back) will catch five innings in a rehab game for High-A Dayton on Friday, MLB.com reports.

The Reds considered activating Trevino from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, but he'll opt for a brief rehab assignment instead. The veteran backstop appears on track to be activated from the IL ahead of Sunday's series finale versus the Tigers.

Jensen went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.

Jensen connected on his sixth homer of the season in the sixth inning, extending his team lead in that category. In his first full major-league season, the 22-year-old has lived up to the hype so far, slashing .275/.354/.565 with six homers, two doubles, 14 RBI and 11 runs through 23 appearances.

Bailey went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Dodgers.

Bailey had the biggest hit of the game when he took Jack Dreyer deep in the seventh inning for the lone scoring play. This was Bailey's first homer of the season, and it comes just less than a week after manager Tony Vitello hinted that the catcher position would become more of a timeshare for the Giants. That hasn't fully materialized yet -- this was Bailey's fourth straight game in the lineup -- but he could still see his usage reduced due to his .155 average and .429 OPS through 63 plate appearances. He's added four RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base across 19 games, though Bailey's defense will often make up for what he lacks as a hitter. To his credit, his plate discipline has improved this year with a 19 percent strikeout rate compared to 29.4 percent last year.