MLB Player News

Jeffers went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Royals.

The backstop took Taylor Clarke deep in the seventh inning for his fourth home run of the year. Jeffers snapped a 19-game homer drought with the blast, a stretch in which he hit .255 (14-for-55) with five doubles, three RBI and five runs. Christian Vazquez has done little at the plate this season, posting a .566 OPS compared to Jeffers' .801, but the former's defensive chops have kept him in the starting role.

Thaiss went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk against the Padres in Wednesday's loss.

Thaiss briefly tied the game in the seventh inning with a 424-foot blast, but San Diego came back to pull out the win. Between Thaiss' previous homer June 24 against Colorado and his long ball Wednesday, he had gone just 3-for-22 with no extra-base hits. Nonetheless, he's worked his way back atop the Angels' catching depth chart due largely to the even greater struggles of Chad Wallach, who hasn't logged a hit since mid-June and has gone 0-for-26 with 15 strikeouts over his past 11 contests.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Alvarez went deep four times over 24 games in June, and he already has three homers across four contests in July. His blast Wednesday came in the ninth inning to tie the game at 1-1. The catcher is up to 15 homers, 30 RBI, 27 runs scored and a .221/.276/.487 slash line through 62 contests. His playing time should stay steady as long as his bat is warm.

Murphy went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Guardians.

The backstop led a 19-hit barrage by Atlanta that saw seven of the team's nine starters record multiple hits, with Murphy's biggest blow being a solo shot off Cal Quantrill in the third inning. The homer was Murphy's third in his last six games and 15th of the season, while the surge has pushed his slash line on the season back up to .305/.397/.580 with 40 runs and 50 RBI in 65 contests.

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Wednesday's win over the Tigers.

Langeliers extended Oakland's lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Eduardo Rodriguez. The 25-year-old Langeliers is now 6-for-17 (.353) over his last five games following an 0-for-9 stretch. The Oakland backstop is now slashing .208/.269/.369 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and 29 runs scored through 284 plate appearances this season.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Diaz launched a solo shot in the bottom of the second to put the Astros on the board. The catcher wasn't done, however, taking Chase Anderson deep for a second time in the fourth to make it a 3-0 ballgame. Diaz now has three home runs over his last three games to go along with four RBI and two runs scored. He's also hit safely in five of his last seven contests.

Knizner has no structural damage in his groin, Jim Hayes of Bally Sports Midwest reports.

Knizner was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday after taking a foul ball to the groin in the fourth inning of Tuesday's blowout loss to the Marlins, but it sounds like he'll be able to return to the Cardinals' active roster shortly after the All-Star break. Ivan Herrera will serve as the backup to Willson Contreras in the meantime.

Moreno is out of the lineup again Wednesday versus the Mets.

Carson Kelly will get a third straight nod at catcher despite holding a .189/.225/.297 batting line on the year. Moreno hasn't been great either, though he did rattle off three hits in his last start Saturday against the Angels.

Gomes is not in the lineup Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Tucker Barnhart will start behind the plate and bat ninth with Miguel Amaya joining Gomes on the bench. Mike Tauchman is serving as the Cubs' designated hitter.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Fortes is getting a breather Wednesday after he went 2-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored while starting behind the plate Monday and Tuesday. Jacob Stallings will handle catching duties in Fortes' stead.