MLB Player News

Moreno isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup Saturday against Toronto.

Moreno will get a breather Saturday one day after going 2-for-4 with a homer against his former team. Carson Kelly will fill in behind the plate and bat eighth while Moreno sits.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 8-3 win over Philadelphia.

Sanchez produced the first run of the contest with a solo shot to left field in the third inning. The long ball was his first since June 22 and just his second across his past 24 contests. Sanchez has slashed a paltry .167/.268/.278 over that stretch, though he's at least managed to keep his strikeout rate (22.0 percent) in check while posting a healthy 12.2 percent walk rate. The veteran's season slash line of .200/.273/.424 over 139 plate appearances is far from exceptional, but with eight homers and 22 RBI, he's been easily San Diego's best offensive option behind the plate.

Moreno went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-2 loss to Toronto.

Moreno made an impression against the team that traded him to Arizona during the offseason. The catcher threw out George Springer attempting to steal in the first inning, then he homered in the seventh to knot the game at 2-2. It was the third home run of the season for 23-year-old Moreno, who continues to serve as the primary catcher even with the return of Carson Kelly. The 29-year-old Kelly is batting just .163 over 14 games since being activated from the 60-day injured list in mid-June.

Heim went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory against the Guardians.

Heim already had three RBI before capping off his night with an eighth-inning solo homer. The catcher has belted six long balls over his last 20 games, giving him 13 this season. He's slashing a robust .287/.342/.490 with 62 RBI and 34 extra-base hits through 322 plate appearances.

Trevino isn't in the Yankees' lineup Friday against the Rockies, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Trevino went 3-for-14 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored over his last five games prior to the All-Star break. He'll get a day off Friday while Kyle Higashioka starts behind the plate and bats ninth.

Knizner (groin) has been cleared to return to action, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Knizner is eligible for activation Saturday and it sounds like he should be back on the active roster that day. He's missed the last week and a half after taking a foul ball to the groin.

Soderstrom's contract was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of Friday's game against the Twins.

Soderstrom is as good of a candidate as any to be the face of the Athletics franchise going forward. The 21-year-old lefty hitter has huge raw power and could retain catcher eligibility for several years while playing almost every day at a combination of catcher, first base and designated hitter. Soderstrom, who was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, hit .254 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 69 games at Triple-A. There could be some initial growing pains with strikeouts and a low batting average, but Soderstrom has a chance to contribute positively in the four non-speed roto categories during his prime years.

Fortes is absent from the lineup Friday in Baltimore, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Fortes started three of the last four games prior to the All-Star break, but it will be Jacob Stallings at catcher for the first game of the second half. Stallings has caught all 19 of Sandy Alcantara's starts this season.

The Athletics will call up Soderstrom from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal reports.

Soderstrom has put up a .254/.303/.536 slash line with 20 home runs over 69 games with Las Vegas this season while splitting his time between catcher and first base. The top prospect is expected to see most of his action with Oakland at first base and perhaps designated hitter, though with Manny Pina aggravating his wrist issue Sunday, Soderstrom could see some action as the team's No. 2 catcher behind Shea Langeliers. He's 21 years old and his numbers in the minors this season were only decent, given the hitter-friendly environments he played in. Still, Soderstrom is a premier talent who should be rostered in most fantasy leagues, especially ones in which he's eligible at catcher.

Cartaya is hitting .228/.288/.433 with eight home runs and a 20.9 percent strikeout rate in his last 32 games for Double-A Tulsa.

He is the third-youngest qualified catcher at Double-A, (older than Edgar Quero and Jeferson Quero), and his .238 BABIP on the season is easily the lowest mark of his career, so there's needed context when evaluating his surface stats. Cartaya doesn't project to hit for a high average in the majors, but he could still be a catcher-eligible player who plays enough to hit 20-plus homers per season.