MLB Player News

Higashioka is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Ben Rortvedt will start behind the plate and bat ninth after Higashioka went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Tuesday as his season slash line fell to .225/.259/.376. Higashioka should still be the Yankees' primary catcher the rest of the way with Jose Trevino (wrist) officially done for the year.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

The Marlins' catcher timeshare has lately tilted in favor of Nick Fortes, who will pick up his fourth start in six games Wednesday. Stallings has posted a lowly .550 OPS since the All-Star break, which is right in line with his season-long mark (.560).

San Diego optioned Sullivan to Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

Sullivan did not appear in a game during his latest brief stint with the Padres and has batted just .170/.184/.298 across 49 major-league plate appearances this year. Luis Campusano and Gary Sanchez remain locked in as the catching tandem in San Diego.

Fry will start at first base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game at Houston.

Fry will be making his second consecutive start at first base while Josh Naylor (side) remains out of the lineup, but the Guardians could have room in the starting nine for both players once Naylor is back to 100 percent health. Naylor and Josh Bell had been sharing first base and designated hitter duties this season, but the Guardians now have a permanent opening in the lineup after trading Bell to the Marlins on Tuesday. In addition to first base, Fry has picked up starts at catcher, third base, left field and right field, so he'll have multiple pathways to regular playing time even if the Guardians choose to rotate a number of players at the DH spot rather than settling on a primary option.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Diaz will head to the bench for the matinee game after he drew starts behind the plate Monday and Tuesday. He smacked three doubles in Tuesday's 8-5 loss, but the 32-year-old catcher has hit just one home run over his last 27 games.

Campusano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Campusano had started seven of the last eight games while frequently being included in the lineup alongside Gary Sanchez, with one serving as the designated hitter while the other handled catching duties. However, with the Padres bringing in Garrett Cooper and Ji-Man Choi at the trade deadline, opportunities for both Campusano and Sanchez to occupy the DH spot will likely become more scarce moving forward. The two will now have to fight for playing time behind the dish, with Sanchez getting the nod Wednesday.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz will get some maintenance as the Nationals close out their series with Milwaukee with a day game after a night game. Riley Adams will draw the start at catcher while Ruiz rests following three consecutive starts.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians.

Yainer Diaz will start behind the plate and bat eighth after Maldonado caught Framber Valdez's no-hitter Tuesday night against Cleveland. Maldonado is the better defensive option of the two Houston backstops, but Diaz carries far more offensive upside.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Wednesday that O'Hoppe (shoulder) is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

O'Hoppe advanced to taking live batting practice this past weekend as he continues to make a swift recovery from April surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He'll likely stay on the rehab assignment for close to the maximum 20 days to get fully back into form offensively and defensively, but the promising young catcher could be a contributor again for the playoff-hunting Angels by the end of August.

Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Rodriguez is getting a breather for the matinee after he caught all nine innings of Tuesday's 4-1 win while going 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run. Jason Delay will get a turn behind the dish while Rodriguez rests up.