MLB Player News

Wong went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday.

After hitting 19 homers in 102 games in the California League last season, the backstop has continued to showcase impressive power in his second season with the Quakes, as this marked his 15th long ball in 261 at-bats. Despite the consistent power numbers, Wong's plate discipline still leaves a bit to be desired, as he's sporting a 20:89 BB:K which has contributed to a pedestrian .245 batting average. The 23-year-old will likely need to improve that aspect of his game to really bolster his case to move up in the Dodgers system.

Wallach (concussion) will play the second game of his rehab assignment Tuesday with High-A Jupiter.

Wallach went 0-for-2 in his first rehab contest Saturday. A concussion has kept him out of action since late May. Bryan Holaday has hit .311/.404/.489 in 16 games as the Marlins' backup this season and could keep Wallach from reclaiming his spot once healthy.

Narvaez went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in a loss to Oakland on Sunday.

Narvaez drove in all four Seattle runs in the loss, sandwiching solo home runs in the second and eighth innings around run-scoring singles in the fourth and sixth. The multi-homer game was the first of his career and the four hits established a career single-game high. Narvaez enters the All-Star break with 14 home runs -- the most ever by a Mariners catcher before the break -- along with 36 runs batted in and a .294/.366/.486 slash line in 255 at-bats.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

Vazquez delivered a two-run blast over the fence in right during the second inning, putting Boston ahead 2-1. He's been red-hot at the dish heading into the All-Star break, racking up seven extra-base hits (including four homers) over his last seven contests.

Mejia is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Mejia started the last two games in Los Angeles but heads to the bench after going 2-for-8 with three strikeouts. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Friars.

Thaiss will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Though Thaiss didn't play the hot corner much during his time in the minors, the Angels will give him a chance to prove his worth at the position while Tommy La Stella (lower leg) likely remains sidelined through August. While starting in two of his first four games with the big club, Thaiss has gone 1-for-7 with a double and three strikeouts.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Diaz started the first two games of the series but will receive a breather Sunday after going 2-for-10. Jacob Stallings will take over behind the plate and bat eighth for the Pirates.

Maile is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Maile had fallen into a timeshare behind the plate with Danny Jansen for much of June, but the former looks like the clear No. 2 backstop these days. With Jansen slashing .375/.390/.950 over his last 11 games dating back to June 23, the Blue Jays look set to ride his hot bat for as long as it lasts. Maile will thus find himself on the bench for the seventh time in eight games to close out the first half.

Leon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Leon was behind the plate for each of the past three games but managed only one hit across 11 at-bats. Even with the recent uptick in action, Leon has still been included in the lineup just four times over the last 13 contests. He's the clear No. 2 backstop behind Christian Vazquez.

Vazquez started at designated hitter and went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 10-6 win over the Tigers.

Vazquez has been a hitting machine over the past month, and manager Alex Cora is looking to get his bat in the lineup. The 28-year-old catcher has slashed .350/.357/.625 with six home runs and 17 RBI over the last 19 games. With J.D. Martinez getting an off day, Vazquez served as the DH and hit in Martinez's third spot in the order. The catcher entered the season with a career .632 OPS, but his hot stretch leaves him at .844 as the season closes in on the All-Star break.