MLB Player News

Vazquez went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Phillies.

Vazquez continues to outperform his career norms and is batting .309 (17-for-55) during the month of August. It appears the 28-year-old catcher, who entered the season as a .246 career hitter, has taken an evolutionary leap on offense. He's batting .280 while posting career highs in doubles (20), home runs (18), RBI (53) and OPS (.799).

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in the Dodgers' 16-3 romp over the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

The rookie just continues to impress at the dish, as he's now working on an eight-game hitting streak that has seen him homer five times and knock in 11 runs. Smith is having no trouble with big-league pitching so far, with a .321/.398/.810 slash line to go along with 11 homers and 30 RBI across his 97 plate appearances. While those numbers figure to even out at least a little bit as he logs more at-bats, he's done more than enough to make the case he should be given most of the starts behind the plate for the Dodgers.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's victory over Detroit.

Maldonado capped the scoring for Houston with a 392-foot blast to left field in the fifth inning. The homer was his second since joining the Astros in a deadline trade. He has gone 5-for-30 (.167) in eight games with his new team.

Jackson was removed from Tuesday's game with Triple-A Gwinnett due to an injury, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Jackson was originally thought to have been removed since Brian McCann exited Tuesday's game against the Marlins with knee soreness, but it appears Jackson is also managing an injury. It's not clear if the young backstop is expected to require a trip to the injured list.

Murphy went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Rays.

Murphy took Jalen Beeks deep in the sixth inning to record his 16th homer of the season. He has been on a power binge of late, with his marking his sixth long ball in his past four games. While his raw power is unquestioned, Murphy's lack of contact has held him back throughout his career. That hasn't changed this season, as he currently owns a 35 percent strikeout rate across 194 plate appearances.

Thaiss isn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Thaiss went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in Game 1, and he'll head to the bench for the nightcap. David Fletcher is set to lead off and man the hot corner with Thaiss out of action.

Caratini is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Giants.

He is just 2-for-18 with zero home runs, four walks and six strikeouts in his last seven games. Jonathan Lucroy starts at catcher and will hit seventh.

Rutschman was promoted to Low-A Delmarva on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Rutschman put together an impressive performance at the plate Monday evening, going 5-for-5 with a home run, a triple and four RBI for short-season Aberdeen. He slashed .325/.413/.481 with 15 RBI in 20 games with the IronBirds. Following his promotion, he'll look to make an impact for the Shorebirds in the South Atlantic League playoffs.

McCann is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Twins.

He is hitting .351 with two home runs, 11 runs and 16 RBI in 16 games this month, thanks to a pair of grand slams last week. Welington Castillo will start behind the dish, hitting sixth.

Trevino is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Look for him to start the nightcap. Jeff Mathis is starting behind the dish and batting ninth in the matinee.