MLB Player News

Bethancourt will sit Saturday against Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt has looked like the Rays' clear top catcher over the last two weeks, starting eight of 11 games behind the plate prior to Saturday's contest. That run immediately followed a stretch in which Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia alternated starts for 12 consecutive games, however, so it's not clear that Bethancourt will start much more than half of Tampa Bay's games after the All-Star break.

Raleigh will sit Saturday against the Astros.

Raleigh broke out to the tune of a .773 OPS last season and maintained a similar .763 OPS through the end of May, but he's been in a rut since the start of June. In 26 games, he's hit .200/.273/.322. Tom Murphy will take over behind the plate Saturday.

Perez will be on the bench during Saturday's game against the Guardians.

Perez will hit the bench after starting four consecutive games behind the plate. His numbers suggest he's probably looking forward to the All-Star break, as he's gone 3-for-40 at the plate over his last 11 games. Freddy Fermin will be Saturday's catcher.

Vazquez will be on the bench Saturday as the Twins host the Orioles.

Vazquez is ahead of Ryan Jeffers in the pecking order behind the plate, but not by much. In the last 20 games, Vazquez has the edge in starts by an 11-9 margin. Jeffers' .801 OPS is far better than Vazquez's .561 mark, however, so there's no guarantee Vazquez remains the top option in the second half.

Jansen will sit Saturday against the Tigers.

Jansen has swung the bat well since returning from a groin injury in mid-June, slashing .268/.305/.536 with four homers in 19 games. He'll rest Saturday with Alejandro Kirk starting behind the dish.

Grandal will sit Saturday against St. Louis.

Grandal finds himself on the bench for the fourth time in six games. He's been in a slump recently, slasing .174/.255/.239 across his last 17 games. Seby Zavala will get the start behind the plate.

Rogers will sit Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Rogers has been in good form recently, posting a .960 OPS with five homers in his last 20 games. That led to him starting nine of the last 12 games behind the plate heading into Saturday's contest, but it will be Eric Haase who gets the nod this time around.

McGuire (oblique) began baseball activities July 6, MLB.com reports.

McGuire has been slow to recover from the oblique injury suffered while taking a swing June 21 against the Twins. These injuries typically take a minimum of two-to-three weeks to heal, but McGuire's will take longer.

Rutschman is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Twins.

Rutschman will get a breather after he went 14-for-42 with a homer, two doubles, five RBI and six runs scored while starting the last 10 games. James McCann will draw the start at catcher and bat eighth in the series opener with Minnesota.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Royals.

It's a day off for Naylor, who is just 7-for-47 so far at the plate for the Guardians this season. Cam Gallagher will catch Aaron Civale.