MLB Player News

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Ben Rortvedt will get the nod behind the plate while Higashioka rests for the series opener. Higashioka started at catcher in the final two games of the Yankees' series with the Orioles over the weekend, going 4-for-8 with a solo home run and an additional run.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.

Yainer Diaz will get the nod behind the plate in the series opener while Maldonado rests. The 36-year-old started at catcher in five of the Astros' six games last week, going 4-for-15 with a solo home run and a double.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

Jansen will get a breather after he was included in the lineup in each of the previous four games, with three of those starts coming at catcher. Alejandro Kirk will step in behind the plate Monday while Brandon Belt handles designated-hitter duties.

Ardoin was promoted from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The 22-year-old backstop is known more for his defense than his offense. Ardoin had a .215/.369/.336 slash line with five home runs and a 32.1 percent strikeout rate in 68 games at High-A.

Basallo was promoted from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The 18-year-old lefty slugger slashed .299/.384/.503 with 12 home runs, seven steals and a 20.7 percent strikeout rate at Single-A. Basallo started 50 games at catcher and 21 games at first base -- a trend that should continue as he keeps climbing the ranks. He moves well for his size (6-foot-3, roughly 200 pounds) now, but Basallo will likely slow down in the coming years.

Lee (oblique) said Monday that he's "100 percent" healthy and will be ready to make his White Sox organizational debut for Triple-A Charlotte this week, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Before the Astros traded him to the White Sox on Friday in exchange for reliever Kendall Graveman, Lee said that he was on track to return from Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list to start that same day. The trade delayed Lee from playing over the weekend, but now that he's settled with Charlotte, he looks set to be activated Tuesday. Lee, who had been on the shelf since July 7 with the right oblique strain, could be the first catcher in line for a promotion to the big leagues if the White Sox end up moving Yasmani Grandal prior to Tuesday's trade deadline.

Fermin went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Twins.

Fermin blasted a 420 foot shot to left center field off Kenta Maeda in the second inning for his second home run in his last four games. The long ball also extended his hitting streak to a modest six games, a stretch during which he's recorded multi-hit efforts four times. Fermin is now up to a slash line of .299/.346/.504 with 13 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 16 runs in 137 plate appearances and should continue to see the bulk of his starts behind the dish.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Yankees.

Rutschman was at leadoff for the second game in a row, and he set the tone well by logging two of his hits in the first inning. He's gotten on base in six of his eight plate appearances atop the order over the last two contests. The catcher is slashing .272/.374/.427 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 52 runs scored and 17 doubles through 100 games this season. Aside from a lack of speed, Rutschman's strong plate discipline makes him a solid option to stay at leadoff for as long as manager Brandon Hyde is interested in him being there.

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.

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.