MLB Player News
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Set for MRI
Mejia will undergo an MRI on his left knee following Thursday's game against the Orioles, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mejia exited in the seventh inning of Thursday's game. Manager Kevin Cash said that for now the team is considering Mejia's injury a sprain, but there is some concern the issue is more severe. Rene Pinto is currently on a rehab assignment while recovering from an undisclosed injury, though he'd almost certainly be recalled when available to back up Christian Bethancourt if Mejia is forced to the injured list.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Exits with injury
Mejia exited Thursday's game against the Orioles with left knee discomfort, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Mejia exited to start the seventh inning, though it's unclear how the injury occurred. Christian Bethancourt took over behind the plate and would see an uptick in playing time if Mejia is sidelined for any lengthy period of time.
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
Astros' Martin Maldonado: Takes seat Thursday
Maldonado is not in the lineup Thursday at Oakland.
Yainer Diaz will start at catcher and Corey Julks will serve as the Astros' designated hitter as they open a four-game set versus the Athletics. Maldonado continues to offer solid defense behind the plate at age 36, but he's slashing just .168/.244/.295 on the year.
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Shea Langeliers C | ATH
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Not in lineup Thursday
Langeliers is not in the lineup Thursday against the Astros.
Tyler Soderstrom will start at catcher and bat fifth while Jordan Diaz serves as the Athletics' designated hitter and bats third. Langeliers has reached the double-digits in homers this year with 10, but his overall .204/.265/.368 slash line leaves a lot to be desired.
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Omar Narvaez C | HOU
Mets' Omar Narvaez: Launches first homer
Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox.
Narvaez got the Mets on the board in the fifth inning with a solo homer off Michael Kopech, his first of the year, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Narvaez had been struggling at the plate while shifting to a backup role behind Francisco Alvarez -- he'd gone just 1-for-19 over his previous 11 games. Overall, the 31-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .209/.294/.279 with six runs scored and four RBI through 51 plate appearances.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Taking seat Thursday
Realmuto is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
It's a day game after a night game, so it's not a surprise to see Realmuto getting some rest. Garrett Stubbs will do the catching for Taijuan Walker.
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Sean Murphy C | ATL
Braves' Sean Murphy: Grabbing seat Thursday
Murphy is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Diamondbacks.
Murphy will get the day off for the afternoon tilt after catching Wednesday night's loss to Arizona. Travis d'Arnaud will be behind the plate for Spencer Strider on Thursday.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Absent from lineup
Stephenson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
It's a day game after a night game, offering the prime opportunity to give Stephenson some rest. Luke Maile will be catching Andrew Abbott.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Nabs 11th steal
Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Brewers.
The 32-year-old catcher also struck out three times, continuing a trend that started before the All-Star break -- over his last seven games, Realmuto has a 1:12 BB:K while batting just .185 (5-for-27). Wednesday's stolen base was also his first since June 13, and while he's up to 11 homers and 11 steals in 84 contests, Realmuto's .762 OPS would be his lowest mark since his first season as a full-time player with the Marlins in 2015.
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Jonah Heim C | ATH
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Knocks homer in win
Heim went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Rays.
Heim broke open a close game with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. It was the catcher's second home run in five games since the All-Star break. While memories of Heim's fade in the second half of last season are fresh, it should be noted that he experienced that drop-off after about 300 plate appearances. He's up to 337 plate appearances and has not showed signs of a similar fate in 2023.