MLB Player News

Moore's contract was selected by the Rays on Friday, Juan Toribio of The Athletic Tampa Bay reports.

The Rays will need a second catcher with Wilson Ramos out with a strained hamstring. Moore has spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues but has appeared in just 96 games and none since 2016. He has a .197/.237/.303 line overall and is unlikely to be used in anything other than a backup role while he remains with the team.

Higashioka was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Higashioka filled a backup role while Gary Sanchez (groin) was on the disabled list, but Sanchez's return sends him back to the minors. The 28-year-old grabbed his first big-league hits in his time with the Yankees (the first three of which were all homers), though he hit just .167 in 11 games.

Sanchez (groin) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday.

Sanchez will end up missing just shy of a month with a groin strain. Prior to the injury, the young catcher was having mixed success at the plate. His 14 homers are tied for the lead among all catchers, and his 96 wRC+ is adequate enough for a backstop, though his .190 batting average certainly hurt fantasy owners. There's reason to expect positive regression in that regard, however, as he's been hurt by a .194 BABIP, and his expected batting average according to Statcast is .237. That's far from the .278 figure he posted last season, but it's enough for fantasy owners to enjoy his power without taking a huge hit elsewhere. Kyle Higashioka was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move.

Mejia was sent to the Padres in exchange for Brad Hand and Adam Cimber on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Padres were able to acquire another top-tier prospect in Mejia after dealing a pair of their impact arms out of the bullpen. Mejia came into this season as the nearly universal top-ranked catching prospect in baseball, though his eventual position in the majors is relatively up in the air. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Mejia is confident in his abilities and desires to continue his progression as a catcher and the Padres are planning to keep him as a backstop, but the Indians were working to expand his game as an outfielder prior to this deal. The 22-year-old has already appeared in 12 games at the major-league level, including one contest this season. Across 79 games at Triple-A Columbus, Mejia slashed .279/.328/.426 with seven home runs and 45 RBI. He will report to Triple-A El Paso for the beginning of his career within the Padres' organization.

Sanchez (groin) has gone 2-for-8 with a pair of solo home runs through the first two games of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Sanchez was behind the plate for seven innings in his first game Sunday and served as the designated hitter in Monday's contest before receiving Tuesday off. It's uncertain if Sanchez will be back in action for the affiliate over the next two days, but with the backstop reporting no setbacks thus far with his groin, he's on track to return from the disabled list for the Yankees' first game out of the All-Star break Friday against the Mets.

Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday.

Rupp was let go by the Twins on Wednesday, but he quickly latched on with his next team. He'll report to Triple-A Tacoma after hitting .226 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBI through 52 games at Triple-A Rochester. Rupp hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2017 with the Phillies.

Jansen started at catcher and went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI and a run for the United States squad in its 10-6 victory over the World team in Sunday's Futures Game.

After striking out looking in his first at-bat, Jansen took Twins farmhand Lewis Thorpe deep in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Hitting for power isn't a major component of Jansen's game, but the 23-year-old has posted a more-than-acceptable .482 SLG at Triple-A Buffalo this season while continuing to exhibit stellar plate discipline. Jansen has the offensive skill set to be an above-average producer from the catcher spot, but it's less certain if he'll be able to control the run game well enough to earn an everyday role at the position in the big leagues.

Perez (ankle) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and assigned outright to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Perez had already been with Round Rock on a rehab assignment but will now be there as a full-time member of the team. He's also been removed from the 40-man roster, which hurts his chances of returning to the big-leagues any time soon and leaves Isiah Kiner-Falefa as the Rangers' backup catcher.

Zavala was placed on the 7-day disabled list Monday at Triple-A Charlotte with an undisclosed injury.

Zavala hasn't played since Friday due to the injury and will be replaced on the active roster by fellow catcher Brett Austin (undisclosed), who was activated from the DL in a corresponding move. Over 303 plate appearances between Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham this season, Zavala has slashed .260/.337/.426 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.

Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Mejia's latest stint in the big leagues lasted just two days. He went 0-for-2 with two walks during one start in the designated hitter slot. The Indians are expected to make a corresponding move at the conclusion of the All-Star break.