MLB Player News

McCann (nose) will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Despite suffering multiple nasal fractures when he was hit in the face by a fastball while he was batting in the first inning of Game 1 of Monday's doubeheader with Toronto, McCann was able to stay in the game. After re-evaluating McCann on Tuesday, the Orioles made him available off the bench for their eventual 6-2 win, and he'll now draw back into the lineup for the series finale while top backstop Adley Rutschman gets a day off. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, McCann took batting practice Wednesday while wearing a protective mask, but it doesn't sound like it'll be anything that inhibits his vision at the plate or while catching.

Kirk (elbow) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Kirk is likely still aching after taking a pitch off his left elbow in Tuesday's 6-2 loss, but with a day out of the lineup Wednesday coupled with a team off day Thursday, the Blue Jays seem hopeful that the backstop will be ready to go for Friday's series opener versus the Yankees. Brian Serven will handle the catching duties in the series finale in Baltimore.

Lee is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Lee is getting some rest for Wednesday's afternoon game after catching all nine innings of Tuesday night's 4-3 loss. Chuckie Robinson will start behind the plate in the series finale.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while playing all nine innings behind the plate in Tuesday night's 9-3 win, Rortvedt will rest up for the day game Wednesday. Alex Jackson will draw the start at catcher in his stead.

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

Wells will get some rest for the day game after he went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts and a run scored while catching all 12 innings of the Yankees' 7-6 win Tuesday night. Carlos Narvaez will step in behind the plate in place of Wells.

Rutschman is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rutschman will get a breather for the matinee game after going 1-for-8 in the last two games of the series. James McCann will draw the start at catcher for the Orioles.

Rortvedt went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Marlins.

Rortvedt contributed to a six-run sixth inning for the Rays, delivering a two-RBI single. He briefly lost playing time to Alex Jackson but has made two consecutive starts. Since the All-Star break, Rortvedt has gone 4-for-20 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.

The Orioles optioned Hunt to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Though Hunt will temporarily move off the 26-man active roster to clear a spot for trade-deadline pickup Gregory Soto, he won't report to Norfolk right away and will remain part of the Orioles' taxi squad, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. Backup catcher James McCann has been medically cleared to play after suffering multiple nose fractures Monday, but if the injury is creating too much discomfort in the coming days, he could be a candidate to go on the injured list. Even if McCann is shelved and Hunt gets recalled in a corresponding move, the 25-year-old backstop would still be in line for limited work behind top catcher Adley Rutschman.

Thaiss went 3-for-5 with a double, five RBI and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 10-7 win over the Rockies.

Thaiss had a two-run double in the third inning, a two-run single in the fourth and an RBI single in the eighth. He also logged his first two steals of the campaign. Prior to Tuesday, Thaiss hadn't done much of anything well -- he entered the contest with just seven RBI all year. He's slashing .253/.347/.373 with one home run, 12 RBI, eight runs scored, seven doubles and two steals through 95 plate appearances. He's played roughly once a week in July, so Logan O'Hoppe figures to remain in a starting role behind the dish.

Diaz went 4-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.

Diaz's fourth-inning homer was the Astros' lone extra-base hit in the contest. He's hit safely in six straight games and has an extra-base hit in five of them, going 12-for-24 with six RBI in that span. For the season, he's up to a .295/.318/.441 slash line with 10 homers, 58 RBI, 45 runs scored, 18 doubles, three triples and one stolen base over 393 plate appearances.