MLB Player News
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Yainer Diaz C | HOU
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Racks up three hits
Diaz went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.
Diaz extended his hitting streak to seven games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-31 (.387) with three home runs and seven RBI. The 24-year-old has seen a bit more playing time this week with Yordan Alvarez (finger) battling an injury. Diaz is up to a .286/.302/.541 slash line with 18 home runs, 18 doubles, 46 RBI and 37 runs scored across 82 contests this season. He continues to provide cover at catcher, designated hitter and first base.
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
Astros' Martin Maldonado: Reaches 10-homer mark
Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.
Maldonado is hitting .234 (11-for-47) in August, with four extra-base hits and eight RBI across 15 contests. That's a better average than his .180 mark for the year, and he's at a poor .568 OPS even with the improved power output of late. The veteran catcher has added 26 RBI, 25 runs scored, 10 homers and 10 doubles through 93 contests as the Astros' top backstop.
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Logan O'Hoppe C | LAA
Angels' Logan O'Hoppe: Sitting out nightcap
O'Hoppe isn't in the Angels' lineup for the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cincinnati, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
After a 1-for-5 effort in the first half of the twin bill, O'Hoppe will get a breather to close out Wednesday's action. Matt Thaiss will take over behind the dish and bat eighth.
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James McCann C | ARI
Orioles' James McCann: Dealing with bruised left hand
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that McCann is day-to-day with a bruised left hand, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
McCann was struck in the hand by a 98-mph fastball during the Orioles' loss to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, though he finished out the entire 10-inning game behind the plate. He's not playing Wednesday but should be able to avoid the injured list and remain active as the backup to star catcher Adley Rutschman.
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Christian Bethancourt C | CHC
Rays' Christian Bethancourt: Rejoins lineup Wednesday
Bethancourt will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Though he's hitting .300 with a .756 OPS in August, Bethancourt's standing atop the depth chart at catcher may still be somewhat shaky. He was on the bench for four of the previous six games while the Rays opted to give Rene Pinto more work behind the dish. Bethancourt's longer track record should be enough to make him the Rays' nominal No. 1 catcher, and both he and Pinto will no longer be threatened by Francisco Mejia (knee), who was designated for assignment Tuesday after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
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Rene Pinto C | PHI
Rays' Rene Pinto: Retreats to bench Wednesday
Pinto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Pinto had started behind the dish in three of the Rays' last four games, going 3-for-11 with a home run and four RBI. Despite the uptick in playing time of late, Pinto is still expected to serve as the Rays' No. 2 catcher behind Christian Bethancourt, who is back behind the dish Wednesday. Pinto should still have a decent amount of job security on the major-league roster after the Rays designated Francisco Mejia (knee) for assignment Tuesday upon reinstating him from the 10-day injured list.
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Heads to bench Wednesday
Jansen is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.
Jansen will return to the bench after he had started behind the plate in the first two games of the series, going 3-for-9 with a double, an RBI and a run. Though he's outperformed Alejandro Kirk for much of the season, Jansen has moved into more of a timeshare of late. Kirk has produced a .768 OPS since the All-Star break to improve his case for more playing time.
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Matt Thaiss C | BOS
Angels' Matt Thaiss: Losing work to O'Hoppe
Thaiss is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Reds.
Thaiss should be back behind the plate for the nightcap, but his time as the Halos' primary backstop appears to be over. Logan O'Hoppe has now started at catcher in four of the Angels' first five games since he returned from the 60-day injured list Friday, relegating Thaiss to a bench role.
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Ben Rortvedt C | NYM
Yankees' Ben Rortvedt: On bench Wednesday
Rortvedt is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals.
Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate and bat eighth versus the Nationals and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Rortvedt has been drawing the majority of the playing time at catcher in recent weeks, but he carries a weak .136/.255/.295 overall slash line for the year.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Taking seat against southpaw
Naylor is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
He will sit in favor of Eric Haase, getting the day off while the Dodgers bring left-hander Clayton Kershaw to the hill. Naylor isn't hitting much versus righties or lefties this season, but he's just 4-for-25 at the plate against same-handed pitching.