MLB Player News

Rogers isn't in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Dodgers.

Rogers will take a seat Friday after going 1-for-3 with a walk on Opening Day. Dillon Dingler will catch for Jack Flaherty instead and bat seventh.

Higashioka is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Red Sox.

Higashioka was behind the dish for Thursday's opener and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, but he will yield to Jonah Heim for the second game of the series. The catching duties for the Rangers are likely to be split fairly evenly between the two players this season.

Jansen (rib) is starting at catcher and batting sixth in Friday's opener against the Rockies.

Jansen missed the last several days of spring training with a pulled muscle in his ribcage, but he came out of a simulated game Wednesday with no issues and is ready to roll. The former Blue Jay is expected to receive the bulk of the reps at catcher for the Rays this season.

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 12-2 win over Toronto.

After homering in the first inning off Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios, Rutschman went deep once again during the eighth frame to add to the Opening Day rout. Rutschman's hot bat in spring training appears to have carried into the regular season to begin the year, as the star backstop went 15-for-42 (.357) with three long balls and eight RBI in the Grapefruit League.

O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's 8-1 Opening Day loss to the White Sox.

O'Hoppe was responsible for two of the Angels' five hits Thursday and their only run of the game thanks to a 417-foot solo homer off Cam Booser during the ninth inning. O'Hoppe is looking to build off a solid 2024 campaign in which he slashed .244/.303/.409 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI across 522 plate appearances, though he'll look to lower his 29.7 percent strikeout rate.

Higashioka started at catcher and went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Higashioka got the call behind the plate against a left-hander ahead of primary backstop Jonah Heim. The Rangers are expected to have a relatively even split at catcher, so this may not be a strict platoon based on the the handedness of the opponent's starter. Higashioka has hit double-digit home runs in four consecutive campaigns while never getting more than 246 at-bats in any one season.

Wells went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk during Thursday's 4-2 win against the Brewers.

The 25-year-old led off for the Yankees by taking advantage of the short porch in right field, with his 348-foot shot being the first time in MLB history that a catcher has hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Wells' .229 average during the regular season last year doesn't make him an obvious candidate to bat atop the lineup, but his 11.7 percent walk rate sets him up to potentially be a quality table setter.

Garver is not in the lineup for Thursday's opener against the Athletics, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Luke Raley is getting the start at designated hitter and Rowdy Tellez is at first base as the A's send right-hander Luis Severino to the bump. Garver will be the Mariners' regular DH versus lefties and should play some against righties, too, but he'll begin Opening Day on the bench.

Heim is out of the lineup for Thursday's season opener versus the Red Sox.

Heim has served as Texas' primary backstop for the past three seasons, but he'll give way to Kyle Higashioka behind the plate as the Rangers open the 2025 campaign. After he saw his OPS drop 152 points from .755 in 2023 to .603 in 2024, Heim could be at risk of moving into more a timeshare at catcher with Higashioka in the fold. Higashioka is coming off a 2024 season in San Diego in which he posted a .739 OPS over 263 plate appearances during the regular season.

Jansen (rib) is expected to be in the lineup for the Rays' opener Friday against the Rockies, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Jansen didn't have any limitations while going through a simulated game Wednesday and evidently bounced back well Thursday, which should clear the way for his Opening Day availability. He is expected to operate as Tampa Bay's primary catcher this season.