MLB Player News

Fermin will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Fermin will be behind the dish for the fifth time in seven games while Salvador Perez gets a day off from catching and serves as the Royals' designated hitter. Nelson Velazquez has served as the Royals' primary DH all season, but he's been occupying more of a part-time role of late as manager Matt Quartaro has look to make room in the lineup for Fermin, who has gone 5-for-18 with a solo home run and three walks over his last six games.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Rortvedt started four of the previous five games but will receive Sunday off after he went 3-for-12 with four strikeouts during that stretch. Alex Jackson will step in behind the plate to catch for Ryan Pepiot on Sunday.

O'Hoppe (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

As expected, O'Hoppe will be on the bench for the day game to close out the series in Cleveland after he exited Saturday's 7-1 loss with a right hand contusion. Matt Thaiss will step in behind the plate for O'Hoppe, who should be viewed as day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh. According to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, O'Hoppe has already resumed throwing and was scheduled to take batting practice Sunday, so he could be available off the bench in an emergency.

Wells is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

After sitting against Tigers right-hander Casey Mize in Saturday's 5-3 win, the lefty-hitting Wells will remain on the bench Sunday with southpaw Tarik Skubal on the hill for Detroit. The Yankees may be opting for more of a timeshare at catcher between Wells and the right-handed-hitting Jose Trevino rather than a true platoon, given that Trevino has been the better performer of the two this season. Trevino heads into Sunday's game with a .719 OPS, more than 100 points higher than Wells' mark (.592).

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Astros.

Raleigh sent Houston starter Framber Valdez to the showers with a two-run blast in the sixth inning. The homer was a much-needed positive outcome for the backstop, as he entered the contest having gone 1-for-26 with 13 strikeouts over his previous eight games. Raleigh's .210/.292/.420 season slash line isn't great, but he is tied for second among MLB catchers with seven homers while adding 15 RBI and 13 runs scored.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Saturday in a 7-1 victory versus the Angels.

Hedges put the Guardians on the board in the second inning, plating two runs with a blast to left field. The long ball was the veteran catcher's first of the season and just his fourth hit overall through 31 plate appearances. Both Hedges and fellow backstop Bo Naylor (who played DH on Saturday) have struggled mightily in the early part of the campaign, though each went deep Saturday as the duo combined to drive in six of Cleveland's seven runs.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Saturday's 7-1 victory against the Angels.

The contest was relatively close heading into the bottom of the sixth frame, as Cleveland held a narrow 3-1 lead. However, Angels starter Reid Detmers walked three batters in the inning, and Naylor made him pay for the wildness by crushing a two-out grand slam. The homer nearly doubled Naylor's season RBI total from five to nine, and it snapped a 15-game stretch without a long ball. Aside from Saturday's big blast, it's been a pretty rough season for the backstop, as he's slashing just .183/.280/.305 with a massive 38.7 percent strikeout rate through 93 plate appearances.

Langeliers went 3-for-5 with a triple, a three-run home run and two additional runs scored in a win over the Marlins on Saturday.

Langeliers' 420-foot shot to left center with Kyle McCann and Lawrence Butler aboard in the eighth inning certainly wasn't necessary for the red-hot Athletics' victory, but it still had a bit of extra significance since it pushed Oakland's tally to 20 runs on the afternoon. Langeliers needed a prolific effort at the plate like Saturday's in the worst way, considering he'd come into the day with a .165/.222/.381 slash line. The three-bagger was Langeliers' first of the season after he legged out four triples a year ago.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

Rutschman connected against left-hander Andrew Abbott in the fifth inning for his fifth homer of 2024, and it proved to be the winning run. With extra-base hits in each of his last three games, Rutschman is up to a .321/.361/.470 line through 32 games this season. He's been a bit overshadowed by Gunnar Henderson so far, but Rutschman is producing at a high level from the catcher and DH spots.

O'Hoppe was removed from Saturday's game against the Guardians with a right hand contusion, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

O'Hoppe took a foul tip off his throwing hand in the bottom of the fourth inning. He initially remained in the game -- striking out in the top of the fifth -- before exiting prior to the bottom of the fifth. X-rays came back negative, so O'Hoppe can safely be called day-to-day. With an afternoon game coming Sunday, he would seem to be a safe bet to miss at least that contest.