MLB Player News
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James McCann C | ARI
Orioles' James McCann: Picks up rare steal
McCann went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Yankees.
McCann's modest five-game hitting streak came to an end, but he made the most of his one trip on base after getting plunked. The steal was his second of the season, putting him one theft shy of matching his total from last year. The backup catcher has a .195/.231/.333 slash line with three home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and eight doubles over 41 contests. He's likely to remain limited with Adley Rutschman securing most of the playing time behind the dish.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Resting Sunday
Wong is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Wong will get a well-deserved breather after he started at catcher in each of Boston's previous five games. Jorge Alfaro will form a battery with starting pitcher Brennan Bernardino in Sunday's series finale.
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Freddy Fermin C | SD
Royals' Freddy Fermin: Playing time trending upward
Fermin will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Twins.
With the Royals frequently deploying Salvador Perez at designated hitter of late and even handing him a start at first base Friday for the first time since 2020, Fermin has benefited with an uptick in opportunities behind the plate. The 28-year-old will pick up his third start at catcher in four games Sunday, and he's done his part thus far to justify the increased work. He'll take a five-game hitting streak into Sunday's contest and owns an .830 OPS over 134 plate appearances on the season.
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Tyler Soderstrom C | ATH
Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Multi-hit effort in win
Soderstrom went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk and a run in a win over the Rockies on Saturday.
Soderstrom got in on some of the fun during the Athletics' 13-hit outburst, authoring the second multi-hit effort of his young career. The rookie is carrying a lackluster .200 average and .500 OPS thus far even after factoring in Saturday's success, but he's now hit safely in three straight games.
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Christian Bethancourt C | CHC
Rays' Christian Bethancourt: Out of Sunday's lineup
Bethancourt is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Bethancourt is just 3-for-24 since the All-Star break and will take a seat Sunday for the second time in Tampa Bay's last three games. Rene Pinto will take over behind the plate to catch for opener Zack Littell.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Receives Sunday off
Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the White Sox, Andre Knott of Bally Sports Ohio reports.
Naylor started the past three games and will hit the bench Sunday after going 2-for-9 with a stolen base and an RBI during that stretch. Cam Gallagher will step in behind the plate to catch for Aaron Civale.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: On bench Sunday
Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Grandal has a .250/.318/.425 slash line since the All-Star break and will sit Sunday for the second time in Chicago's past three games. Seby Zavala will receive another start behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Mashes two homers
Kirk went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's win over the Angels.
Kirk led off the bottom of the fifth with a single before coming around to score the first run of the contest on a Santiago Espinal home run in his next at-bat. The catcher would then tack onto Toronto's lead with a leadoff home run in the seventh followed by a two-run shot in the eighth. It marked Kirk's first multi-homer game of the season, and he's now batting .292 in July with three long balls and seven RBI.
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Tom Murphy C | SF
Mariners' Tom Murphy: Remains hot Saturday
Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Murphy plated the game's first run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning and later hit a solo shot to left field for Seattle's final tally of the contest. The backstop has opened the second half of the season on a strong note, batting .308 (8-for-26) with three homers and six RBI over eight games. That's helped him see more playing time of late, though Cal Raleigh -- who started at DH on Saturday -- remains the team's first option behind the plate.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Yankees' Kyle Higashioka: Bursts out of slump
Higashioka went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Orioles.
After entering Saturday's contest 2-for-24 (.083) in his last 11 appearances, Higashioka delivered a trio of hits, including a solo homer off Cole Irvin in the sixth. The outing was much-needed for Higashioka, who assumed primary catching duties earlier this week with Jose Trevino (wrist) undergoing season-ending surgery but had gone hitless since receiving the starting job. Though Ben Rortvedt could push Higashioka for catching duties if his struggles at the plate continue, Saturday's outing likely earned Higashioka more opportunities to cement himself as the clear No. 1 option.