MLB Player News

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

Kirk started the previous three contests behind the plate, so he'll get a breather for Thursday's matinee. Tyler Heineman will catch and bat ninth for the Blue Jays.

Heim (hand) will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Heim suffered a compressed nerve in his right hand on a base hit in the top of the second inning of Wednesday's 4-3 loss. According to ESPN.com, Heim initially came on the field for the bottom of the second, but after airmailing a throw back to right-hander Jacob deGrom on the first pitch of the inning, the Rangers elected to pull Heim from the game. Bochy relayed after the game that imaging on Heim's hand came back negative, but the Rangers aren't yet ready to deploy the veteran backstop behind the plate. Heim will handle a non-defensive role in the series finale while Kyle Higashioka steps in at catcher.

Torrens went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

The 29-year-old catcher has started seven of 19 games in May, hitting safely in the last five while batting. 300 (6-for-20) on the month. Torrens hasn't provided much other production, supplying just one RBI and two runs over that stretch, but half his hits have gone for extra bases (two doubles and a triple) and he sports a 7:4 BB:K. Francisco Alvarez is entrenched as the Mets' starter behind the plate, but Torrens' workload and current form still give him some fantasy value in deep NL-only formats.

Goodman went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base Wednesday against the Phillies.

Goodman went hitless across the first two games of the Rockies' homestand but delivered a well-rounded line Wednesday. He remains one of Colorado's most consistent hitters and has hit .313 with two homers, 17 RBI and eight runs scored across 19 games in May.

Raleigh went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the White Sox.

Raleigh took Brandon Eisert deep in the sixth inning, tying the game at 4-4. The homer was Raleigh's fourth in nine games and his 16th on the year, tying him with Aaron Judge for second most in MLB behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber. The 28-year-old Raleigh is slashing .249/.370/.584 with 33 RBI, 32 runs scored and five stolen bases across 208 plate appearances this year.

Del Castillo (shoulder) served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored for the ACL Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Del Castillo began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League as he works back from a shoulder strain that idled him for nearly two months. He emerged as a prospect in 2024 at Triple-A Reno and acquitted himself well in a cup of coffee in the majors. The view is that Del Castillo needs improvement in some areas behind the plate, but the bat could play in the majors. Once ready, he's expected to be assigned to Reno.

O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a walk, three total runs and three total RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Athletics.

O'Hoppe kicked off the scoring in the game with a massive 470-foot two-run shot in the second inning and added a 431-foot solo blast in the fourth. The powerful young catcher has three homers in his past two games and has collected exactly two hits in three straight contests. O'Hoppe continues to blossom into one of MLB's best hitters at his position-- he ranks second among backstops in the league with 13 home runs, is tied for third with 28 RBI and is slashing a strong .270/.306/.541 through 157 plate appearances.

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in a 9-5 win against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Realmuto was the only Phillies batter with multiple extra-base hits Wednesday. He doubled to notch an RBI in the third inning and belted a two-run homer in the sixth. The three-hit performance snapped a small four-game slump during which the veteran catcher went 1-for-17 at the plate. On the season overall, Realmuto is slashing .240/.316/.403 with five homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases through 41 games.

Davis went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk Wednesday against the Reds.

Davis continues getting only sporadic playing time, but he does have at least one hit in each of his last three starts. He played a key role in Wednesday's win, driving in a run with a single in the fourth inning. Davis also applied a key tag at home plate to end the sixth frames to preserve a 2-1 lead for the Pirates. Joey Bart is likely to continue to get the majority of playing time behind the plate, but Davis is showing modest signs of potential.

Perez went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double during Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Giants.

Perez fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, including a fourth-inning homer off Logan Webb to put the Royals up 6-1. The catcher's long ball was his first since April 13, a shockingly long drought for the power-hitting backstop, who hit 121 combined homers in the previous four seasons. In 199 plate appearances this year, Perez is slashing .223/.258/.346 with three home runs, 14 doubles and 23 RBI.