MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Rushing isn't a candidate to be moved ahead of the trade deadline, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. "I just don't see a world in which he's moved anyway, and I think he's smart enough to realize that," Roberts said.

The caveat, of course, is that the team's front office -- not Roberts -- is the entity responsible for making any trade decisions on Rushing. That said, Roberts' confidence about Rushing remaining with the club past the deadline isn't all that surprising, given that the rookie backstop entered the campaign as one of baseball's top catching prospects. Rushing has struggled at the plate since getting called up to the majors May 14, posting a .200/.270/.275 slash line with one home run, 11 RBI and a 40.4 percent strikeout rate over 89 plate appearances. That said, Roberts pointed out that a learning curve is understandable since the 24-year-old is having to adjust to sporadic playing time.

Davis isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus San Francisco.

Davis has gone 0-for-24 at the plate since July 11, and his recent struggles will cause him to give up another start behind the plate to Joey Bart, who will bat eighth Tuesday.

O'Hoppe isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Texas, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

O'Hoppe has collected a base hit in seven of his eight games since the start of the second half, but he'll watch the beginning of Tuesday's game from the dugout while Travis d'Arnaud starts at catcher.

Higashioka (hamstring) is starting behind the plate and batting seventh against the Angels on Tuesday.

Higashioka has missed five games since July 23 due to a strained right hamstring, but he's good to go Tuesday. The catcher was removed from the game July 22 when he suffered the injury. The 35-year-old was slashing .362/.367/.596 in July prior to missing time.

Alvarez isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez's six-game hitting streak came to an end with his 0-for-2 performance Monday, though he still managed to reach base twice via walks. Luis Torrens will fill in for him behind the dish Tuesday and bat ninth.

Maldonado isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Maldonado will retreat to the bench for the third straight game Tuesday while Elias Diaz starts behind the dish. Neither backstop has been particularly productive at the plate this season, though the Padres may be starting to favor using Diaz as their primary catcher.

The Twins reinstated Jeffers (personal) from the paternity list, and he's out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

Jeffers has been away from the team for the past few days in order to be with his growing family, but he's back with the Twins for Tuesday's contest. Christian Vazquez will start behind the plate, with Jeffers likely to rejoin the starting nine for Wednesday's series finale.

Perez (elbow) is batting fifth as the designated hitter Tuesday against Atlanta.

Perez departed Monday's contest with a left elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch, but he's back in the starting nine for the second game of the series. The veteran slugger has carried a hot bat in July with seven doubles, nine homers, 20 RBI and a .346/.391/.765 slash line in 22 games this month.

With Detroit pushing toward the postseason, Liranzo is a possible candidate to get traded before the deadline, particularly if the Tigers don't want to move their high-end prospects, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The Tigers have a well-stocked farm system, headlined by the likes of Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceno, as well as Bryce Rainer, who is out for the season due to a dislocated shoulder. While Detroit appears to be a World Series contender this year, it appears unlikely that the team is motivated to trade any of its elite prospects, and Rainer may be hard to move due to his injury. Liranzo is a legitimate prospect in his own right, but he's likely a notch below the aforementioned players, which could make him a target for other clubs. He and Briceno are also both catchers, so the Tigers could view Liranzo as expendable if the right offer comes along. The 22-year-old is slashing .233/.351/.404 with 10 home runs across 65 games for Double-A Erie.

Stephenson is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers.

Stephenson started at catcher in Monday's series opener but will take a seat in the second contest of the three-game set. Jose Trevino will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Reds.