MLB Player News

Garver isn't starting Thursday against the Angels.

After a hot start since returning from a knee injury, Garver has cooled down considerably, slashing just .214/.214/.357 across his last four games. Robbie Grossman will instead serve as the Rangers' designated hitter Thursday while batting seventh.

Haase is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has been siding with Jake Rogers at catcher lately, as Haase has started just two of the last seven games (one of which came in a doubleheader). Haase homered Wednesday but is just 4-for-36 over his last 40 plate appearances.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

It's a planned day off for Realmuto, who went 7-for-12 with two home runs, two doubles and two triples over the first three games of the four-game series at Arizona. Garrett Stubbs will start behind the plate in Thursday's matinee.

Langeliers is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rays.

It's a day game after a night game, which is a prime spot to get your starting catcher some rest. Carlos Perez will be behind the plate.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.

Hedges took Drew Smyly deep in the fourth inning for his first home run of the year, extending Pittsburgh's lead to 5-1. The 30-year-old backstop has been relatively productive of late, going 7-for-27 (.259) with a .730 OPS over his last eight games. Still, Hedges isn't likely to provide much fantasy value outside of very deep leagues. He's slashing just .183/.240/.252 with 12 RBI and 10 runs scored through 131 plate appearances this season.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore.

Danny Jansen will do the catching for Yusei Kikuchi. Kirk is sporting a lowly .606 OPS since the beginning of May.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Nationals.

Diaz has seen his playing time tick up across the last 10 games, starting seven times. He's served as the designated hitter three times in that span due to the absence of Yordan Alvarez (oblique), though he also has two starts each at catcher and first base. Diaz now has four home runs on the season, three of which have come since May 31.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a walk and one RBI in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the White Sox.

Barnes had been out for nearly a week tending to an injured right wrist. The backup catcher has hit safely in five of his last 11 games dating back to May 8, but his playing time will remain limited behind Will Smith. Barnes owns a poor .111/.207/.136 slash line with five RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases over 28 contests this season.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers.

Grandal has gone 8-for-29 (.276) in June despite hitting safely in just four of nine contests. The catcher remains the White Sox's top option behind the dish with a steady .268/.328/.410 slash line, five home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored over 201 plate appearances. Grandal has a career-worst 7.5 percent walk rate, but it's not holding him back much in 2023.

Perez made an early exit from Wednesday's game against Cincinnati due to a left hand contusion and is listed as day-to-day.

Perez was hit by a pitch in the third inning of Wednesday's contest, but he doesn't appear to have suffered any significant damage. The Royals have an off day Thursday, giving Perez an extra day to heal before potentially returning Friday against the Angels.