MLB Player News

Smith went 2-for-6 with a solo home run, a walk, stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Padres.

The Dodgers were unable to get anything going against Blake Snell over the first seven frames, but Smith came through in the eighth with a solo blast to tie the game up at one apiece. The 26-year-old later reached in the 15th inning and would score off a base knock by Trea Turner. Smith is one of three catchers in baseball to have reached 20 home runs this season and is now slashing .259/.368/.497 with 37 extra-base hits, 61 RBI, 57 runs scored, three steals and 47:81 BB:K over 399 plate appearances.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday in an extra-inning victory versus the Royals.

The backstop produced the first run of the game with a solo shot to left field in the third inning. The homer was his 10th of the season, marking the third time in his career he has reached double digits in that category during a campaign. Maldonado has otherwise struggled in 2021, however, batting a paltry .190 with 100 strikeouts across 291 at-bats.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

The catcher got the Royals on the board in the fourth inning with a solo shot to left field. The long ball was his fourth in his past six games, and all but one of his hits over that span have left the yard. Perez is up to a career-high 34 homers this season, tied for third in MLB.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday against the Phillies.

Mejia came to the plate with the game tied at four in the ninth inning and delivered his sixth home run of the season to put the Rays in the lead. Though he gets only sporadic playing time, Mejia has at least one hit in eight of his last 10 appearances, including two doubles, one home run, eight RBI and six runs scored. For the season, he a .267/.326/.446 line across 222 plate appearances.

Wynns went 0-for-2 in Wednesday's 10-6 win over Baltimore.

Wynns has appeared in 10 games in August, going 6-for-30 (.200) with two doubles, one RBI and one runs scored this month. The catcher is slashing only .174/.216/.283 through 98 plate appearances this year. He'll remain in a backup role behind Pedro Severino -- playing time will probably be hard to come by down the stretch for Wynns.

Trevino will start at catcher and bat ninth Wednesday in Cleveland.

With Jonah Heim recently moving to the COVID-19 injured list, Trevino has temporarily reclaimed the No. 1 catcher job. He'll be behind the plate Wednesday for the fourth game in a row.

Manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday that Grandal's (knee) return is "imminent," Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

La Russa previously ruled Grandal out for the team's current road trip in Toronto, but it appears as though the catcher will be back in action in the coming days. The 32-year-old has made nine rehab appearances between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, and he's slashed .321/.394/.464 with a home run, a double, four runs and three RBI.

Jackson isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Jackson will head to the bench for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Tuesday. Jorge Alfaro will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

McGuire isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

McGuire went 2-for-3 with a double in his last appearance, but he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher and bat sixth.

Ruiz went 3-for-5 with a pair of homers and three RBI for Triple-A Rochester against Syracuse on Tuesday.

He'd been off to a bit of a cool start power-wise with his new organization, homering just once in his first 15 games since being traded, but Ruiz still fills the box score with hits even when he's not knocking them over the fence. Both of his homers Tuesday came while batting left-handed, and it's interesting to note that the switch-hitting Ruiz has hit 18 of his 19 long balls this year from the left side, where his swing is a little reminiscent of David Ortiz's. He's been no slouch from the right side, though, hitting .320/.354/.453 (in a much smaller sample of at-bats). As a bonus in this era of hitters selling out for power, Ruiz has struck out just three times in his last 11 games (44 at-bats) and just 33 times in 298 plate appearances all season.