MLB Player News

The Rays selected Brantly's contract from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

He'll serve as the backup catcher behind Alex Jackson while Ben Rortvedt (personal) is away on paternity leave. Brantly is a career .225/.287/.326 hitter over parts of eight big-league seasons and sports a .741 OPS with Durham in 2024.

The Rays placed Rortvedt on the paternity list Monday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Rortvedt can miss up to three games while he tends to more important matters. Rob Brantly has been brought up from Triple-A Durham to help Alex Jackson out at catcher.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Monday's game against San Diego.

Jeffers will give way to Christian Vazquez behind the plate Monday against Michael King and the Padres. Jeffers is slashing .231/.311/.464 with a career-high 19 home runs in 367 plate appearances.

The Dodgers are expected to recall Feduccia from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Monday's contest against the Mariners, J.P. Hoornstra of DodgersNation.com reports.

He'll replace Austin Barnes, who is headed to the 10-day injured list. Feduccia, 27, had one plate appearance with the Dodgers earlier this season and has posted an .848 OPS with six homers this year at Oklahoma City. He will serve as Will Smith's backup.

Barnes is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Monday's game versus the Mariners, J.P. Hoornstra of DodgersNation.com reports.

Per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, Barnes took a foul ball off his left big toe during Sunday's win over the Cardinals. It's uncertain whether he's dealing with a fracture or is just sore. Barnes will be eligible to come off the IL at the end of August but it's not clear if he might be ready at that time. Hunter Feduccia will be called up to serve as the Dodgers' backup catcher behind Will Smith.

Ruiz went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

The catcher got the Nationals on the board in the fourth inning by driving a Taijuan Walker pitch deep to right field. Ruiz is putting together a strong month of August, slashing .283/.321/.547 through 14 games with four of his 12 homers on the season, as well as eight runs and nine RBI.

Kelly started at catcher and went 0-for-4 in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Twins.

Kelly made his fifth start in the last six games, including four as the catcher and one at DH. Sunday's hitless effort put a halt to a six-game hit streak, but he could continue to steal at-bats from primary backstop Jonah Heim, who is mired in a 4-for-27 (.148/.233/.296) run.

Rutschman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox.

Rutschman was scratched from the lineup Friday due to back soreness, and he didn't start Saturday, though he went 0-for-2 off the bench. This was his first homer since July 19 -- he hit a poor .216 (16-for-74) over 23 games between long balls. That rough patch has dulled the shine of Rutschman's overall stats, as he's now at a .266/.331/.428 slash line with 18 homers, 70 RBI, 59 runs scored, 16 doubles and a stolen base over 114 contests. Despite the recent struggles, Rutschman's heavy workload between catcher and designated hitter gives him ample fantasy appeal. There's also a fair chance he bounces back, as he struck out at just an 11.9 percent rate during his power drought.

Del Castillo went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Sunday against the Rays.

Del Castillo's second homer of the season was a clutch three-run shot that tied the game in the ninth, sending it into extras. The catcher was 0-for-4 going into that at-bat, rendering him in a 1-for-16 slump prior to the blast. Del Castillo began his big-league career on fire, going 7-for-12 with three extra-base hits and five RBI. With 24 homers in the minors prior to his call up, Del Castillo has the potential to provide intriguing pop from the catcher position while Gabriel Moreno remains sidelined for the Diamondbacks.

Jeffers went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Rangers.

Jeffers made an impact early in the contest, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. The catcher has hit safely in five of his last six games, going 6-for-20 (.300) with three homers and five RBI in that span. That constitutes a warm spell for Jeffers, and it's come at a good time, as fellow catcher Christian Vazquez entered Sunday on an eight-game hitting streak before snapping it with a strikeout as a pinch hitter. The Twins continue to evenly split the playing time for their catchers. Jeffers has offered more power with 19 homers, 18 doubles and a .464 slugging percentage while batting .231 with 57 RBI, 45 runs scored and three stolen bases over 94 contests this season.