MLB Player News

Kirk is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Kirk will take a seat for the day game after a night game, opening up room in the lineup for No. 2 catcher Tyler Heineman. Through 12 games in September, Kirk has hit .283 with eight RBI and two runs.

Kelly will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

Texas will make room in the lineup for both of its catchers Thursday, as top backstop Jonah Heim will get a day off behind the plate and serve as the Rangers' designated hitter. Even though Heim sits atop the depth chart, Kelly has still received a fair amount of playing time by the standards of No. 2 catchers since he was acquired from the Tigers on July 28. In 26 games with Texas, Kelly has slashed .250/.308/.333 with one home run, seven RBI and 10 runs.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Naylor started behind the plate in each of the last four contests, so he was due for a day off, especially since Thursday's game is an afternoon affair. Austin Hedges will catch and bat ninth for the Guardians.

Stephenson is absent from Thursday's lineup versus Atlanta.

Stephenson started the first two games of the series and had made six straight starts overall, but he'll be given some rest during Thursday's afternoon contest. Luke Maile will do the catching for the Reds.

Moreno went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Rockies.

Moreno was back in the lineup after resting Tuesday. The Diamondbacks are easing him into regular duty after the catcher spent six weeks on the injured list due to an adductor strain. Moreno has logged multiple hits in each of his two games played since being activated Monday.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-4 victory versus the Marlins.

Smith put the Dodgers on the board in the second inning with a solo shot to left field. The long ball was his 19th of the campaign, tying his total from last season. The All-Star catcher's .246 batting average on the campaign is well below his career norm, but he's shown signs of coming to life at the plate of late, batting .333 (7-for-21) with two homers, two RBI and seven runs over his past six games.

Pages is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Pages will get a breather after he started at catcher in both of the Cardinals' previous two contests. Ivan Herrera will check in behind the dish and form a battery with starting pitcher Sonny Gray.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

After a recent five-game absence due to a knee injury, Realmuto had started at catcher in each of the Phillies' ensuing five games while going 4-for-18 with two doubles, two RBI and one run. Realmuto appears to be getting a routine maintenance day Wednesday.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Fermin is on the bench for the third time in four games, this time against a lefty (Tarik Skubal) after his previous two absences came against right-handed pitching. The Royals had been opening up regular playing time for Fermin behind the plate by using Salvador Perez at first base, but Perez has been taking on more work at catcher lately with Yuli Gurriel gaining traction as a regular in the Kansas City infield.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

He'll take a seat for the series finale after picking up starts behind the plate Monday and Tuesday. Elias Diaz will handle catching duties Wednesday in Higashioka's stead.