MLB Player News

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's win over the Rockies.

The veteran catcher had gone just 5-for-30 (.167) over his first nine games in August after returning from a three-month absence due to a fractured finger, but Murphy has matched that hit total in the last two contests, with three of those hits (two doubles and a homer) going for extra bases. Two productive games doesn't erase the fact that he's managed a poor .198/.287/.378 slash line since the beginning of the 2024 campaign, but a healthy Murphy could be finding a groove as Atlanta gears up for the stretch run.

Jensen went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-0 win over Cleveland.

Jensen extended Kansas City's lead with a two-run blast over the right-field wall in the ninth inning. The young catcher has now homered in back-to-back games and three times over his past seven contests. On the year, he's hitting .223/.309/.415 with 19 homers, 61 RBI, 61 runs and two stolen bases across 126 games.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Friday's 6-1 win over the Rangers.

Contreras opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the first inning before adding an RBI single in the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the eighth. This was his eighth game of the season with at least three RBI. He has 69 RBI on the campaign and continues to produce, albeit with a relatively modest .268 average and .729 OPS. He's been seeing the ball well of late, as he has five multi-hit games and an impressive .433 average over his last seven contests.

Stephenson went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 10-8 win over the Cubs.

Stephenson launched a three-run home run as part of the Reds' five-run fifth inning. His bat has cooled off since a torrid stretch coming out of the All-Star break, but Stephenson continues to be an RBI machine in the second half with 23 runs driven in over 33 games since the break.

Heim went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Orioles.

Heim had gone nearly a month without a homer, batting just .156 (12-for-77) during his 22-game power drought. His solo shot Friday got the Athletics on the board in the seventh inning. Heim is batting .210 with a .659 OPS, 12 homers, 41 RBI, 29 runs scored and 15 doubles over 84 contests this season and continues to see a starting role behind the plate since Shea Langeliers (knee) went out of the lineup in late July.

Goodman went 3-for-5 with an RBI single during Colorado's 6-4 loss to Atlanta on Friday.

It was Goodman's second multi-hit game in his last three outings and the eighth time he's recorded at least three hits in a game. The 26-year-old catcher has driven in at least one run in three of four outings since coming off the IL and is up to 73 RBI on the year, which leads the Rockies and ranks 20th among National League hitters.

Cavanaugh is not in the Giants' starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The lefty-hitting Cavanaugh will be on the bench for Friday's game while the Diamondbacks send southpaw Kohl Drake to the mound. Andrew Knizner will start behind home plate and bat out of the cleanup spot while forming a battery with Giants right-hander Blade Tidwell.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Marlins, per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com.

Despite launching a two-run homer during Thursday's series finale against Colorado, Ruiz will ride the pine for Friday's series opener against Miami. Harry Ford will handle the catching duties and bat seventh for Washington.

Rutschman (elbow) is back in the lineup for Boston's matchup with the Yankees on Friday.

Rutschman sat out the final two games of the series against the Marlins but will start behind the plate for Friday's series opener. The 28-year-old has struggled since coming over to Boston, batting .146/.255/.244 with one homer and four RBI over 47 plate appearances. The switch hitter will bat fifth for the Red Sox as Connor Wong moves back to the bench Friday.

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Mariners.

It's a routine day off for Kirk, who started at catcher the last two days for the Blue Jays. Brandon Valenzuela will be behind the dish and will bat ninth in the series opener.