MLB Player News

Perez (hamstring) is catching and batting cleanup in his return to the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers.

Perez missed a couple starts with a left hamstring strain but feels well enough to give it a go Wednesday. The slugger has struggled over the last few weeks, batting .192/.276/.212 with no home runs and one RBI in his previous 15 contests.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Wednesday that O'Hoppe (shoulder) is trending toward a return before the end of the season, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

O'Hoppe's return in 2023 has been considered up in the air since he had surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He's progressed well, though; he went through catching drills Wednesday after starting to hit off a tee over the weekend. Late August had previously been mentioned as a best-case scenario for O'Hoppe's activation, but there remains no clear timeline.

Thaiss is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Chad Wallach will handle the catching duties and hit ninth for the Angels with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound for New York. Thaiss has drawn only 24 plate appearances this year against southpaws, compared to 195 plate appearances against righties.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Kirk has sat out two straight and has caught just one of the last five games as he struggles through an extended slump at the plate. Danny Jansen will catch for Jose Berrios.

Zavala is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Zavala will take a seat after going 1-for-10 at the dish while starting at catcher in each of Chicago's last three contests. He appeared to overtake Yasmani Grandal as the team's preferred catcher shortly before the All-Star break, but the White Sox were able to find room for both players in the lineup over the last three games by deploying Grandal at designated hitter. Grandal will remain the team's DH on Wednesday, but Carlos Perez will swap in for Zavala behind the plate.

McGuire (oblique) is aiming to begin a rehab assignment by next Tuesday, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.

McGuire has missed nearly a month with a right oblique strain but is making nice progress. Jorge Alfaro has been Boston's backup catcher lately with McGuire out.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup versus the Rockies on Wednesday.

Diaz will get a breather after he went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in Tuesday's 4-3 loss. Kyle Tucker will slot in at designated hitter while Jake Meyers enters the lineup in center field and bats eighth in the series finale with Colorado.

Rutschman is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus Los Angeles, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Rutschman will take a seat after he went 2-for-8 with a solo homer, a double, a walk and two strikeouts over the first two contests of the series. James McCann will draw the start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale with the Dodgers.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Naylor will get a breather for the day game after he started behind the dish Monday and Tuesday night. Though the Guardians put up 21 runs between the first two games of the series, Naylor wasn't a major contributor, as he went just 1-for-9 with a double and an RBI between those contests. Cam Gallagher will replace him in the lineup Wednesday as Cleveland's catcher.

Grandal went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against the Mets.

Grandal has lost out on playing time to Seby Zavala behind the plate since early July, though he's started three of the last four games thanks to the absence of Eloy Jimenez (groin). While he contributed to a furious White Sox rally Tuesday with his seventh homer of the season, Grandal figures to shift back to limited playing time upon Jimenez's return -- anticipated in the coming days.