MLB Player News
-
Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Knocks in two
Bart went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against the Cubs.
Bart saw his playing time slip for much of July, but he has mostly alternated starts with Henry Davis since Aug. 4. In eight games since, Bart has gone 6-for-24 with two doubles, one home run and four RBI. He delivered a two-RBI double in the sixth inning Sunday to briefly give the Pirates the lead.
-
Alex Jackson C | MIN
Orioles' Alex Jackson: Slides to third on depth chart
Orioles manager Tony Mansolino confirmed prior to Sunday's 12-0 win over the Astros that Jackson will serve as the team's No. 3 catcher behind Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo moving forward, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Widely regarded as one of the organization's top prospects, Basallo was called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday and entered the lineup at designated hitter for the series finale with Houston. While Rutschman is likely to see the bulk of the starts behind the plate for the rest of the season, Mansolino indicated that Basallo will be the top choice to handle catching duties when Rutschman needs a day off or is deployed as a DH. With that in mind, Jackson -- who had been serving as Rutschman's top understudy -- appears likely to see his already limited opportunities dwindle further over the final six weeks of the season. Jackson is slashing .227/.292/.591 with three home runs, four RBI and 11 runs over 48 plate appearances for Baltimore since being acquired from the Yankees on July 6.
-
Samuel Basallo C | BAL
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Drives in two in MLB debut
Basallo went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's 12-0 win over the Astros. He also reached base when he was hit by a pitch.
Called up from Triple-A Norfolk earlier Sunday, Basallo entered the lineup at designated hitter and as the Orioles' No. 6 batter in his MLB debut. The 21-year-old broke through with his first hit in his final plate appearance of the day, singling with the bases loaded in top of the eighth inning to drive in the game's final two runs. Prior to the game, interim manager Tony Mansolino told Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun that the Orioles want to assess Basallo's abilities at catcher over the next six weeks, but Basallo is still viewed as the No. 2 option at the position behind Adley Rutschman. Per Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com, the Orioles plan to have Basallo make his first start at catcher in Monday's series opener in Boston, then use him at DH in Tuesday's series finale. Basallo could also pick up some starts at first base over the final few weeks of the season, though the Orioles may prioritize Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle at that position.
-
Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Battling sore thumb
Stephenson is dealing with a sore left thumb and is available to catch in an emergency, MLB.com reports.
Stephenson initially banged the thumb during a series in Pittsburgh two weeks ago and then again against Philadelphia on Aug. 13. He then aggravated the issue Friday against Milwaukee and sat out the last two games. Jose Trevino is filling in behind the plate.
-
Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Catches seven innings on rehab
Moreno (finger) caught seven innings for Triple-A Reno on Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored.
Moreno followed up Saturday's effort by serving as the DH on Sunday and playing all nine innings. He's alternated catching and DH over four games on his rehab assignment, during which he's 4-for-12 with three walks and three doubles. The Diamondbacks likely want to see him catch a full nine-inning game before activating him, although given his nearly two months of recovery, the club may want Moreno to get more plate appearances regardless if he catches nine innings. Either way, he's on the verge of returning to the majors.
-
Cal Raleigh C | SEA
Mariners' Cal Raleigh: Lifts 47th homer
Raleigh went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Mets in the Little League Classic.
Raleigh is now one homer shy of matching Salvador Perez's record for a catcher in a single season. Raleigh sent his 47th blast out to left field in the seventh inning, though that was the extent of the Mariners' comeback effort in this neutral-site game. He got his groove back against the Mets' pitching staff this weekend, going 7-for-12 with three walks and four extra-base hits during the three-game series. Raleigh is slashing .252/.359/.600 with 102 RBI, 82 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and 18 doubles across 122 games this season.
-
Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Knocks four hits
Naylor went 4-for-5 with an RBI double in Sunday's loss to Atlanta.
Naylor was stuck in a 2-for-23 (.087) skid since his last multi-hit performance Aug. 2. He snapped the drought in a big way with a career-high four hits Sunday, highlighted by his RBI double in the third inning. Naylor owns a .184/.283/.368 slash line with 27 extra-base hits and 28 RBI through 315 plate appearances on the campaign.
-
Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Exits early Sunday
Alvarez was removed from Sunday's contest against the Mariners in the eighth inning due to a right hand injury, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.
Alvarez appeared to jam his hand on a head-first slide into second base in the bottom of the seventh inning, which ultimately required him to leave the game in the following frame. The catcher finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. More information on his status will likely be provided following the contest.
-
William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Smashes clutch two-run homer
Contreras went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Cincinnati.
The Brewers were kept off the board until the ninth inning, when Contreras took the first pitch he saw from Emilio Pagan deep to left field to give Milwaukee the lead. Contreras is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak -- including five multi-hit games -- and over that span he has gone 14-for-32 (.438) with one steal, four home runs and 14 RBI. He has been red-hot at the plate since the All-Star break with a .956 OPS across 125 plate appearances.
-
Jose Trevino C | CIN
Reds' Jose Trevino: Comes up clutch with two RBI
Trevino went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Brewers.
Trevino brought home the first run of the game with a sac fly to right field in the seventh, and he came up clutch in the ninth with an RBI single to send the game to extra innings. He has logged a hit in four of his last six starts and has gone 6-for-23 (.261) with three runs and four RBI over that span. Trevino has seen a recent uptick in starts behind home plate with Tyler Stephenson idle in each of the Reds' last two games.