MLB Player News

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win against San Francisco.

Stephenson kicked off the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning and added a three-run blast in the fourth. The homers were the first extra-base hits of any kind for the backstop over his past 11 games, and the four RBI were twice as many as he had accounted for over his previous 15 contests combined. This was Stephenson's second multi-homer performance of the campaign, and with his two long balls Saturday he's at 13 on the season, tying the career-high mark he established last year.

Stallings hit a solo home run as a pinch hitter in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Padres.

Stallings' eighth-inning blast brought the Rockies within a run, but they failed to tie the game. The backup catcher went 8-for-19 over a five-game span from July 20-26, but he followed it up with an 0-for-8 skid before Saturday's homer. For the year, he's at a .265/.367/.453 slash line with six homers, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, 12 doubles and no stolen bases over 60 contests. Despite those decent numbers, he remains behind Elias Diaz on the depth chart at catcher.

Jeffers went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-2 victory versus the White Sox.

Jeffers opened the scoring in the contest with a solo shot to left field in the second inning. He added a single in the eighth, which he followed with a stolen base before coming around to score on a Willi Castro single. Jeffers is tied for fifth among big-league catchers this season with 16 homers and ranks eighth with 51 RBI. Both are career-high marks.

Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Alvarez will get a chance to regroup Saturday after going just 2-for-20 with a home run over his last five games. While he rests, Luis Torrens will catch for left-hander David Peterson and bat seventh.

Higashioka isn't in the Padres' lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Higashioka's brief three-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-3 performance Friday, and he'll now take a seat while Luis Campusano catches for Martin Perez.

Rutschman is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.

Rutschman will rest Saturday after going 1-for-8 with one RBI over the first two games of the series. James McCann will start behind home plate and bat eighth against Cleveland southpaw Joey Cantillo.

Wong is starting at first base and batting fifth in Saturday's game against the Rangers, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

It's the first start for Wong in the field anywhere other than catcher in his major-league career, per Cotillo. Wong's move to first base allows Boston to start new acquisition Danny Jansen behind home plate for Saturday's contest. Since the All-Star break, Wong has slashed .289/.360/.489 with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI across 49 plate appearances.

Ford is feeling "100 percent" following his concussion and will begin going through protocols to return to action with Double-A Arkansas, MLB.com reports.

Ford took a foul ball off his facemask July 25 and was diagnosed with a concussion the following day. If his recovery continues without setbacks, Ford could conceivably be deemed ready to suit back up for the Travelers in a matter of days.

Kirk (elbow) will start at catcher and bat fourth Saturday against the Yankees.

Kirk had to sit out Toronto's last two games after taking a pitch off his left elbow Tuesday, but he seems to be feeling well enough to start behind the dish Saturday. The 25-year-old backstop has gone 7-for-22 with two RBI and two runs scored in six games since the All-Star break.

Serven went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-5 win over the Yankees.

Batting ninth and getting another start behind the plate while Alejandro Kirk nurses a bruised elbow, Serven came through with a two-run single in the third inning. The hits and RBI were the 29-year-old's first since he was added back to the big-league roster July 28 following the Danny Jansen trade, but with Kirk not expected to miss much more time, Serven will likely return to the bench before the weekend is over.