MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rockies.

Alvarez was moved up to the two hole in the batting order for the first time Sunday, and he put an exclamation point on the Mets' six-run fourth inning. The homer was his fifth during his eight-game hitting streak, a span in which he's added 13 RBI while batting .400 (12-for-30). The young slugger is up to eight homers, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored and a .269/.327/.558 slash line through 33 contests this season.

Higashioka went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 10-7 win over the Padres.

It's the first multi-hit game of the season for Higashioka, who'd been stuck in a 1-for-18 slump coming into Sunday's contest. The 33-year-old backstop is now slashing .203./259/.380 with three homers and 13 RBI in 85 plate appearances this season. Higashioka should continue to see the majority of starts behind the plate while Jose Trevino (hamstring) is sidelined, though Trevino could return as soon as Tuesday against Seattle.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

After starting behind the plate in each of Houston's last three games, Maldonado will get a respite in the series finale. Yainer Diaz will form a battery with starting pitcher Cristian Javier on Sunday.

Thaiss is back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, starting at catcher and batting seventh.

According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News, manager Phil Nevin said Thaiss has been dealing with a minor hip issue, which may explain why the backstop was out of the lineup each of the past three games. Assuming he comes out of Sunday's contest no worse for the wear, Thaiss should see the bulk of the starts at catcher over Chad Wallach heading into the Angels' upcoming seven-game week.

Wallach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Wallach was behind the dish for each of the Angels' last three games and went 1-for-5 with three walks and two runs, but he still appears to be the No. 2 option at catcher behind Matt Thaiss. According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News, Angels manager Phil Nevin noted prior to Sunday's contest that Thaiss had been battling a minor hip issue, which may have explained Wallach's increased usage of late.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Nationals.

Perez has three homers and seven RBI over his last six games while batting .360 (9-for-25) in that span. The catcher is over halfway to matching his 23 homers from last season -- he now has 12 through 47 contests. He's also been one of the few reliable bats in the Royals' lineup, slashing .288/.327/.549 with 32 RBI, 26 runs scored and 12 doubles while primarily batting near the top of the order.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Diaz has been excellent throughout the 2023 campaign, but he'll get a day of rest for the series finale. Austin Wynns is hitting ninth and starting behind the dish with Austin Gomber on the mound for the Rockies.

Alvarez will start at catcher and bat second in Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Alvarez has hit near the bottom of the order for the majority of the season, but he'll climb into the two hole while the Mets face lefty Austin Gomber on Sunday. The 21-year-old backstop has swung the bat well as of late and is coming off a two-hit performance Saturday in which he slugged a three-run home run in the Mets' 10- 7 loss. If Alvarez continues to swing a hot stick, it's possible he'll earn more opportunities to hit near the top of the lineup versus right-handers too.

Sabol will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Brewers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sabol will step in behind the dish in place of Patrick Bailey, who is resting for the series finale after catching in each of the past three contests. Even though Bailey looks poised to remain the Giants' primary backstop while Joey Bart (groin) is on the shelf, Sabol's ability to fill in at designated hitter or in the corner outfield has allowed him to retain a regular role. The rookie will draw a seventh consecutive start Sunday despite going 2-for-21 with seven strikeouts over the previous six contests.

Bailey is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey will get a day of rest after starting the first three games of the series against Milwaukee. Blake Sabol will handle catching duties Sunday while Bailey sits.