MLB Player News

Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three total RBI in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

Rutschman was responsible for the Orioles' first three runs Thursday, launching a solo shot off Yusei Kikuchi in the sixth inning before adding a two-run homer off Zach Pop in the eighth. Rutschman came into the day with just one home run in his previous 17 contests, though he's now hit safely in 10 straight games, going 15-for-42 (.357) in that span. The 26-year-old backstop is slashing .307/.345/.490 through 258 plate appearances this season with 12 homers, 43 RBI and 34 runs scored.

Contreras (forearm) was throwing, catching and running on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Rockies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Contreras has been participating in all three activities since the Cardinals' last stretch of road games. It's an encouraging sign that the 32-year-old backstop is recovering well from his fractured left forearm, but he still is not expected back until closer to the All-Star break. Until then, Ivan Herrera will continue to serve as St. Louis' primary catcher.

Murphy (elbow) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Nationals.

Murphy had to depart Tuesday's game against the Red Sox after being struck on the right elbow by a pitch and was then held out of action Wednesday. It will be just a one-game absence for Atlanta's top catcher, though, as he and his teammates take on Mitchell Parker and the Nationals on Thursday.

Smith is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.

Smith started the first two games of the series, going 3-for-7 with a double, a walk and an RBI. He will yield to Austin Barnes for the series finale as the Dodgers try to avoid a sweep.

Jeffers isn't in the Twins' lineup Thursday against the Yankees.

Jeffers has gone 0-for-11 with four strikeouts over his last three games, and he'll get a day to regroup Thursday. Christian Vazquez will instead start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Langeliers isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Langeliers has received more days off than usual of late, as he's now started just three of the last six games for the Athletics. He doesn't appear to be dealing with any sort of injury, however. Kyle McCann will get the start at catcher for Oakland on Thursday.

Alvarez (thumb) will be behind the plate for Triple-A Syracuse on both Friday and Saturday before serving as the designated hitter Sunday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The young catcher is on track to return from a fractured left thumb early next week when the Mets return from London, but the organization will put him through his paces this weekend to make sure he's ready. Alvarez caught a combined no-hitter with High-A Brooklyn on Tuesday, and he's drawn praise from coaches for the work he's put in during his rehab assignment. While his thumb will remain in a splint for a while yet, he should immediately slot back in as New York's starting catcher when he returns, although his backup -- whether that's Tomas Nido or Luis Torrens -- could still see a bigger workload in the short term as Alvarez gets eased back into action.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.

Diaz got Houston on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning, smacking a solo shot off Miles Mikolas the opposite way to cut the Astros deficit to 3-1. It's the third straight game with a home run for Diaz, who's up to six long balls on the season. The 25-year-old backstop is now slashing .250/.278/.397 with 29 RBI and 21 runs scored across 216 plate appearances this year.

Torrens went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Nationals.

The backstop took Patrick Corbin deep in the third and sixth innings as he produced his first multi-homer game in the majors in nearly three years. Torrens has started three of four games since joining the Mets, going 3-for-10 with his third hit being a double, and the 28-year-old is making a strong case to stick around as the No. 2 catcher instead of Tomas Nido when Francisco Alvarez (thumb) comes off the IL next week.

Heim went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two total runs and two total RBI in a 9-1 win against Detroit on Wednesday.

Heim's biggest contribution was a two-run shot to right field in the third inning that gave Texas a 4-0 lead. The backstop added a double and a single to finish with just his second three-hit performance of the season. Heim's pace has slowed a bit after he tallied a career-best 18 homers and 95 RBI last year, but he's still giving solid production from the catcher position with a .251/.296/.372 slash line, six homers, 31 RBI, 22 runs and a stolen base through 199 plate appearances.