MLB Player News

Heim is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

With Heim having been voted as the American League's starting catcher in Tuesday's All-Star Game, he'll get a breather in the Rangers' final game before the break after he had been behind the plate in each of the past four contests. Mitch Garver will form a battery with starting pitcher Dane Dunning in the series finale in Washington.

Wynns went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Giants.

He took Ryan Walker deep in the second inning, giving the veteran catcher his first homer of 2023. Even playing his home games at altitude hasn't done much to improve Wynns' offense -- since joining the Rockies in early May, he's slashing .222/.265/.311 in 50 plate appearances, numbers right in line with his career .228/.273/.332 performance.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and two walks Saturday in a 6-1 win over the Rays.

Murphy produced half of Atlanta's runs on one swing when he slugged a three-run shot to left field in the fourth inning. It was the All-Star catcher's third straight game with a long ball, and he's gone 6-for-11 with seven RBI over that span. Murphy has hit 17 home runs through 67 contests, and he's already just one shy of his career-high mark of 18 set last season over 148 contests.

Naylor went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 10-6 win over the Royals.

Naylor was stuck in a 1-for-19 funk over his previous six games. This was his third multi-hit effort in 15 contests this season. The 23-year-old catcher has struggled to adjust to major-league pitching, batting just.196 with a 5:18 BB:K so far this year. He's added a home run, five RBI, eight runs scored and two doubles through 56 plate appearances.

Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Maldonado provided a clutch hit, giving Houston the lead with his eighth-inning solo shot. Prior to Saturday, he had gone 0-for-18 with one walk over his last six games. The catcher is batting a career-low .169 with a .540 OPS, six homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored through 66 contests. He hasn't lost much playing time despite his poor numbers, as the Astros appear content to let Yainer Diaz get the bulk of his at-bats at designated hitter while Yordan Alvarez (oblique) is out.

Bethancourt will sit Saturday against Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt has looked like the Rays' clear top catcher over the last two weeks, starting eight of 11 games behind the plate prior to Saturday's contest. That run immediately followed a stretch in which Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia alternated starts for 12 consecutive games, however, so it's not clear that Bethancourt will start much more than half of Tampa Bay's games after the All-Star break.

Raleigh will sit Saturday against the Astros.

Raleigh broke out to the tune of a .773 OPS last season and maintained a similar .763 OPS through the end of May, but he's been in a rut since the start of June. In 26 games, he's hit .200/.273/.322. Tom Murphy will take over behind the plate Saturday.

Hedges isn't in the Pirates' lineup Saturday against Arizona.

Hedges has started to turn things around since the start of July, going 4-for-12 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored over five games. He'll get a breather Saturday while Jason Delay starts behind the dish and bats ninth.

Perez will be on the bench during Saturday's game against the Guardians.

Perez will hit the bench after starting four consecutive games behind the plate. His numbers suggest he's probably looking forward to the All-Star break, as he's gone 3-for-40 at the plate over his last 11 games. Freddy Fermin will be Saturday's catcher.

Vazquez will be on the bench Saturday as the Twins host the Orioles.

Vazquez is ahead of Ryan Jeffers in the pecking order behind the plate, but not by much. In the last 20 games, Vazquez has the edge in starts by an 11-9 margin. Jeffers' .801 OPS is far better than Vazquez's .561 mark, however, so there's no guarantee Vazquez remains the top option in the second half.