MLB Player News

Kirk went 4-for-5 in Saturday's 9-8 loss to the Mariners.

All four hits were singles, and none of them led directly to runs, but it's still another sign Kirk is beginning to turn his season around. The 24-year-old backstop has seven hits in his last two starts, and since the All-Star break he's batting .471 (8-for-17) to push his slash line on the season up to .252/.331/.330.

Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Rodriguez's first big-league homer came in the sixth inning to close out the scoring. After opening his Pirates career 0-for-7, he's hit safely in each of his last three games. The catcher has also struck out nine times in 17 plate appearances so far, so he still has some adjusting to do. Rodriguez is expected to learn on the job with a majority of the playing time behind the plate, while veteran Austin Hedges serves as his backup.

Diaz is out of the lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Diaz also sat out of Friday's game in Oakland, though there's no word of any injury. Martin Maldonado is catching for the Astros on Saturday and Corey Julks will take a turn as the designated hitter.

Huff was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

He will take the roster spot that had belonged to Corey Seager, who landed on the injured list with a sprained thumb. Huff doesn't have a path to many at-bats, as the Rangers already have Mitch Garver around to back up Jonah Heim, who's started the second-most games behind the plate in the entire league this season.

Contreras was pulled from Saturday's game against the Cubs due to right hip tightness, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning and an RBI double in the top of the fifth before getting replaced at catcher by Ivan Herrera to begin the bottom of the sixth. Contreras can be considered day-to-day until the Cardinals provide further information on the hip issue.

Bailey will be on the bench Saturday against the Nationals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey burst onto the scene with a .904 OPS in his first 33 games, but he's hit a wall since the start of July. In 14 games this month, he's hitting .125/.176/.167 with 17 strikeouts and just one walk. Blake Sabol starts behind the plate for the fourth time in nine games since the All-Star break.

Sanchez will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Tigers, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Sanchez generated a fair amount of excitement by hitting .255/.300/.681 with six homers in his first 13 games as a Padre, but things have gone downhill fast since then. In his last 29 games, he's homered just three times while slashing .159/.257/.284. Luis Campusano starts for the second consecutive game behind the plate and could be in the process of claiming the starting role.

Moreno was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Cincinnati due to left shoulder discomfort, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

Moreno has been dealing with the issue over the last few weeks and has seen his playing time dip as a result. It's unclear if his scratch Saturday means the issue has reached a point where he'll need a trip to the injured list. Carson Kelly will start Saturday and would see his playing time increase if Moreno does in fact need a stint on the IL.

Fortes will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Fortes has the edge in starts behind the plate over Jacob Stallings by a 55-45 margin, though since the break it's been Stallings with five starts to Fortes' three. Fortes owns a .532 OPS on the season while Stallings' sits at .561, so neither player has made much of a push to carve out a larger role.

Diaz will sit for Saturday's game in Miami, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Those with Diaz on their fantasy teams would prefer Diaz's off days all came on the road like this one. The All-Star Game MVP has hit .293/.333/.493 at home this season and just .243/.304/.358 elsewhere. Austin Wynns will take over behind the plate.