MLB Player News

Maldonado is not in the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Yainer Diaz will start at catcher as Michael Brantley serves as Houston's designated hitter. Maldonado contributed an RBI single to Saturday's 7-5 defeat of San Diego but is slashing just .187/.254/.337 across 366 total plate appearances this year.

Langeliers is out of the lineup Sunday versus the Rangers.

Langeliers started behind the plate in the first two games of the three-game weekend series and went 2-for-7 with a homer and a double. Tyler Soderstrom is handling the catching duties for the Athletics in Sunday's series finale.

Wells is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Ben Rortvedt will catch and bat ninth if the weather allows for it in New York. Wells has gone 2-for-21 (.095) in six major-league games since earning a Sept. 1 call-up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Jeffers is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets.

Christian Vazquez will start at catcher and bat seventh for the Twins. Jeffers went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's win over New York and is sitting on a strong .831 OPS with 10 home runs through 84 games (285 plate appearances) on the year.

Lee is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

Yasmani Grandal will start at catcher and bat fifth for the visiting White Sox. Lee, 25, has slashed just .118/.211/.206 through his first 38 plate appearances with Chicago.

McCann went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 13-12 victory over the Red Sox.

McCann busted out of his 1-for-19 slump in a big way, blasting a two-run homer in the fourth inning and adding a solo shot in the sixth. Since the All-Star break, the 33-year-old catcher has been in the lineup nearly every other day, batting .267 with three home runs, 18 RBI, 14 runs, and two steals in 28 second-half games (86 at-bats).

Thaiss went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

Thaiss has gotten into just three games since returning Sept. 3 from a short trip on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. His homer Saturday was his first hit in nine at-bats during that span. The catcher has nine long balls, 31 RBI, 32 runs scored, two stolen bases and six doubles over 93 contests this year. Thaiss is likely to fill a backup role behind Logan O'Hoppe for the remainder of the year.

Heim will not start Saturday's game against Oakland.

Heim hits the bench for the first time in a week. He's faded down the stretch along with the entire Rangers team, hitting just .177/.227/.258 since returning from a wrist injury in mid-August. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate.

Bethancourt will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Mariners, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt has hit just .240/.264/.380 over the last month, striking out 21 times to go with just two walks. Rene Pinto will get another start behind the plate.

Raleigh will be on the bench Saturday against the Rays.

Raleigh has gone 5-for-12 with a pair of homers across his last three games but will hit the bench in favor of Brian O'Keefe. Raleigh's recent hot streak, which includes a 1.085 OPS over his last 16 games, has dragged his wRC+ up to 118, a near match for his 120 wRC+ from last season.