MLB Player News
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Sitting against righty
Naylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
The lefty-hitting Naylor typically starts against right-handed pitchers like the Cubs' Jameson Taillon, but Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt will hold out his top backstop for the series finale. Naylor's absence from the lineup may be explained in part by his recent rough patch at the plate; he's slashing just .194/.194/.484 in 11 games since the beginning of August. In spite of his struggles, Naylor's spot atop the depth chart still looks to be fairly secure.
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Carson Kelly C | TEX
Rangers' Carson Kelly: Fourth start in five games
Kelly will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox.
Kelly will get his second straight start and fourth start over the last five games after beginning his Rangers career by going 7-for-21 with a home run. Jonah Heim remains the favorite to see the bulk of the starts at catcher for Texas over the remainder of the season, but the Rangers are riding the hot hand for now.
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Jonah Heim C | TEX
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Losing playing time to Kelly
Heim is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Boston.
Heim has now been on the bench for two straight games and in four of the last five contests in favor of Carson Kelly. It's unlikely there's a changing of the guard at catcher, but Kelly looks set to play more than former No. 2 backstop Andrew Knizner did. Heim is in a 8-for-47 (.170 average) drought at the plate.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Getting night off
Wong is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
Wong will get a rest after he started at catcher each of the past three days while going 4-for-12 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and three runs. Danny Jansen will check in for Wong behind the plate in the series finale.
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Dillon Dingler C | DET
Tigers' Dillon Dingler: Sitting out Wednesday
Dingler is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Mariners, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Jake Rogers will make a second straight start at catcher after Dingler had started both of the two games prior to that. The two have split the catching duties evenly, with both getting seven starts apiece since Dingler was promoted from Triple-A Toledo on July 29.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Homers in Tuesday's loss
Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 13-3 loss to the Twins.
Perez has hit safely in 10 of his 11 games in August, going 12-for-40 (.300) with three homers, three doubles and six RBI in that span. The catcher is up to 22 long balls this year, one shy of matching his total from each of the previous two campaigns. He's added a .280/.340/.479 slash line with 79 RBI, 49 runs scored, 20 doubles and no stolen bases over 117 contests this season.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Clubs 11th homer
Wong went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 9-4 win over the Rangers.
He launched a Jose Urena slider over the Green Monster in the third inning to give the Red Sox a 6-0 lead. Wong has cooled down a bit in August, slashing .289/.304/.422 through 10 games with a 37.0 percent strikeout rate, but the 28-year-old backstop has already put together a career-best campaign with 11 homers and 43 RBI through 91 contests. With Danny Jansen and Mickey Gasper now on the roster, it wouldn't a surprise if manager Alex Cora tries to find a bit more rest for Wong down the stretch, even if it's just at a less demanding defensive position -- Wong's seen action in nine games at first base, five at DH and four at second base already this season.
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Shea Langeliers C | OAK
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Bangs out three XBH in win
Langeliers went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 9-4 win over the Mets.
The backstop came one base shy of hitting for the cycle, and he supplied what proved to be the game-winning hit in the third inning when he launched a three-run homer off former batterymate Paul Blackburn. Langeliers has produced four hits in back-to-back games, but prior to that offensive eruption he was batting just .182 (10-for-55) in 16 contests since the All-Star break. On the season, he sports a lopsided .226/.288/.466 slash line, and his next home run will give him a new career high with 23.
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Jake Rogers C | DET
Tigers' Jake Rogers: Drives in seven runs Tuesday
Rogers went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a grand slam and seven total RBI in Tuesday's 15-1 win over the Mariners.
It was an unexpected monster performance for Rogers, who came into the contest mired in a 1-for-23 slump and sporting just a .591 OPS overall. The seven-RBI tally is also a new single-game career high for the catcher. While Rogers provided a huge jolt Tuesday, his fantasy value moving forward will be capped if he continues to split time behind the plate with Dillon Dingler.