MLB Player News

The Phillies will hold Realmuto (foot) out of the starting nine for Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

After being struck in the right foot by a foul tip while catching in the bottom of the first inning in Tuesday's 6-0 loss to the Giants, Realmuto was lifted from the game when his turn in the lineup came up in the top of the second. Fortunately for Realmuto, X-rays came back negative, but he'll receive at least one game off while he contends with bruising and soreness to the foot. Rafael Marchan will draw the start behind the dish Wednesday, but with a team off day on tap Thursday, Realmuto could be ready to resume catching in Friday's series opener versus the Diamondbacks.

Del Castillo started at designated hitter and went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Mets.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Del Castillo challenged a called third strike, which was ruled a ball upon review. He didn't waste his second life and delivered a two-run single to right field to knot the game at 2-2. One batter later, Nolan Arenado doubled in the go-ahead run. The lefty batting Del Castillo, who was activated from the injured list Saturday, made his second start in three games since coming off the IL, both as the DH against right-handers.

Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer during the Rangers' 3-2 win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Higashioka gave the Rangers the lead for good in the fifth inning, when he took George Kirby deep to left-center field for a two-run homer for his first long ball of the season. It was Higashioka's fourth start behind home plate in 11 games, and for now, it looks like he is the clear second option at catcher behind Danny Jansen to open the 2026 season.

Realmuto was removed from Tuesday's game against the Giants with a bruised right foot, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto was hit on the foot by a foul tip while catching in the first inning, and he was replaced by Rafael Marchan in the second. The fact that the Phillies are calling Realmuto's injury a bruise suggests he didn't suffer a fracture, though the team may still give him a break during Wednesday's series finale so he can properly recover.

Ballesteros went 2-for-4 with a home run, an additional run scored and three total RBI in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Rays.

Ballesteros got on the board with his first home run of the season when he took Yoendrys Gomez deep in the ninth inning to put the icing on the cake in an easy Chicago win. The 23-year-old has seen his playing time begin to decrease as he's been in a slump with just a .208 average and .592 OPS even after Tuesday's promising performance. Ballesteros has plenty of offensive upside, and while the Cubs will likely continue to rotate players into the DH spot, the youngster should still see his fair share of opportunities, particularly if he can get on a hot streak.

Murphy (hip) is expected to report to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin a rehab assignment Friday, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The veteran backstop has been building up in simulated games in the lower minors and has now been cleared for game action. Murphy was sidelined for all of spring training while recovering from offseason hip surgery, so his rehab assignment is likely to be lengthy before he's cleared for his 2026 MLB debut.

Bailey isn't in the lineup Tuesday versus Philadelphia.

Bailey went 1-for-4 in the series opener against the Phillies on Monday, but he will get a chance to rest Tuesday. In his place behind the plate, Daniel Susac will start and bat eighth.

O'Hoppe isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.

O'Hoppe will get a chance to rest after going 2-for-11 with two RBI and two runs scored over his last four games. Travis d'Arnaud will grab a start behind the plate and bat eighth.

Kirk underwent surgery Tuesday to have a screw inserted into his fractured left thumb and is expected to be sidelined about six weeks, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kirk sustained the injury Friday when he was struck in the thumb by a foul tip, and the Blue Jays didn't waste any time placing him on the injured list. The 27-year-old should be able to rejoin the active roster in mid-May, assuming his recovery progresses as expected. Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela will handle the catching duties for Toronto in the meantime.

Single-A Lakeland placed Oliveto on the 60-day injured list with a left great toe fracture, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.

Oliveto is completing rehab daily, and he will be making his pro debut whenever he is cleared to return. The Tigers selected Oliveto out of high school with the No. 34 overall pick in last year's draft.