MLB Player News

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.

Jansen will sit Saturday against the Tigers.

Jansen has swung the bat well since returning from a groin injury in mid-June, slashing .268/.305/.536 with four homers in 19 games. He'll rest Saturday with Alejandro Kirk starting behind the dish.

Diaz isn't in the Rockies' lineup Saturday against the Giants, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Diaz is just 3-for-18 with five strikeouts since the beginning of July, so he'll get a breather Saturday to regroup. Austin Wynns will take Diaz's place behind the dish and bat ninth.

Grandal will sit Saturday against St. Louis.

Grandal finds himself on the bench for the fourth time in six games. He's been in a slump recently, slasing .174/.255/.239 across his last 17 games. Seby Zavala will get the start behind the plate.

Rogers will sit Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Rogers has been in good form recently, posting a .960 OPS with five homers in his last 20 games. That led to him starting nine of the last 12 games behind the plate heading into Saturday's contest, but it will be Eric Haase who gets the nod this time around.

Contreras isn't in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday against the White Sox, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Contreras underwent a tooth procedure that caused him to miss Friday's game, and he'll remain out of Saturday's lineup. Ivan Herrera will once again fill in behind the dish and bat eighth.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and scored an additional run in an 11-4 victory versus the Angels on Friday.

Smith is one of four Dodgers position players elected to this season's upcoming All-Star Game, and they all went deep in the contest, with Smith completing the feat on a two-run shot in the eighth inning. The backstop finished with his first multi-hit game since June 20 -- he had been slumping with a .154/.306/.359 slash line over his previous 11 games. Despite that stretch, Smith is still putting up excellent numbers on the campaign, posting a .279/.396/.498 slash line, 13 homers, 44 RBI, one steal and a sterling 43:38 BB:K over 283 plate appearances.

McGuire (oblique) began baseball activities July 6, MLB.com reports.

McGuire has been slow to recover from the oblique injury suffered while taking a swing June 21 against the Twins. These injuries typically take a minimum of two-to-three weeks to heal, but McGuire's will take longer.

Alvarez went 4-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Padres.

Alvarez's home run streak ended at three games, but he was able to put up a third straight multi-hit effort. The catcher has gone 10-for-22 (.455) over six games in July, matching his total number of hits from his last 19 contests in June. The upward trend has him at a .241/.297/.512 slash line with 16 home runs, 34 RBI and 29 runs scored through 219 plate appearances.

Ruiz will sit Friday against Texas.

Ruiz will get a breather after he went 1-for-9 with three strikeouts while starting the last two contests. Riley Adams will draw the start at catcher and bat seventh in the series opener with the Rangers.