MLB Player News
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Christian Bethancourt C | CHC
Rays' Christian Bethancourt: Sitting Wednesday
Bethancourt is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia have now alternated catching duties over the past six games, with both backstops drawing three starts apiece. The playing time has generally tilted in Bethancourt's favor this season, so he should still be viewed as Option 1A behind the plate for Tampa Bay.
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Twins' Christian Vazquez: Continues to rotate with Jeffers
Vazquez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
Vazquez continues to work in a roughly even timeshare with Ryan Jeffers at catcher. The two backstops have now alternated turns behind the plate over the past 14 games, drawing seven starts apiece.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Out again Wednesday
Grandal is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees.
Seby Zavala will catch and bat ninth after slugging two home runs and tallying three total RBI to help the White Sox win 3-2 over the Yankees on Tuesday. It seems like a case of manager Pedro Grifol simply riding the hot hand, as Grandal has far out-hit Zavala over the course of the year.
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Samuel Basallo C | BAL
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Excelling against older competition
Basallo is hitting .291 with five home runs, a 22.4 percent strikeout rate and a 126 wRC+ through 46 games with Single-A Delmarva.
The second-youngest qualified hitter in the Carolina League behind Anthony Gutierrez, Basallo has handled his first full-season assignment very well. The 18-year-old catcher/first baseman has a 22.8 percent line-drive rate and a groundball rate under 40 percent, so his quality of contact has been strong. The Orioles believe Basallo is a good enough defender to stick behind the plate, but the fact he is already playing first base roughly a third of the time suggests he will play other positions besides catcher as he continues to climb the ladder.
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Shea Langeliers C | ATH
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Clubs eighth homer
Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 11-2 victory over Pittsburgh.
Langeliers took Mitch Keller yard for a 423-foot solo shot in the second inning to improve his season total to eight while coming around to score on a Jace Peterson home run after being walked in the eighth frame. Tuesday's outing built upon his recent success at the plate, moving him to 8-for-27 since May 27 with one homer, five RBI and four runs scored. Though Langeliers sports a poor 29.3 percent strikeout rate, he sits seventh in home runs and 10th in RBI among catchers on the season.
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Seby Zavala C | LAD
White Sox's Seby Zavala: Smashes two long balls
Zavala went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a two-run homer in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Yankees.
Zavala was the lone source of offense for the ChiSox on Tuesday, tagging Clarke Schmidt for long balls in the third and fifth innings to drive in all three of the team's runs. The home runs were his third and fourth of the season and marked his first since May 6 (19 games). Tuesday's outing was also his first multi-homer game since July 31, 2021. Despite the pair of long balls, Zavala has struggled in 2023, slashing .170/.204/.318 across 93 plate appearances.
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Jonah Heim C | ATL
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Sitting Tuesday
Heim isn't starting Tuesday against the Cardinals.
Heim extended his hitting streak to nine games after going 1-for-4 Monday while also scoring a run. He'll get a day off Tuesday and will be replaced by Mitch Garver behind home plate. Corey Seager will serve as DH, moving Ezequiel Duran to shortstop and allowing Robbie Grossman to start in left field while batting sixth.
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Two hits in loss
Perez went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's loss against Miami.
Perez extended Kansas City's lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the first inning before smacking a leadoff double in the eighth. After struggling the first few weeks of the season, Perez is batting .321 with a .955 OPS over his subsequent 34 games. The 33-year-old veteran has proven he's still one of the better fantasy options behind the plate. Perez is slashing .282/.316/.512 with 12 homers, 28 runs scored and 34 RBI through 228 plate appearances.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Two hits in win
Mejia went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's win over the Red Sox.
Mejia is now 5-for-11 in his last three games following a 2-for-20 slump in his previous seven contests. The 27-year-old backstop is slashing .226/.267/.333 with one homer, seven RBI, and 16 runs scored through 101 plate appearances while splitting catching duties with Christian Bethancourt in Tampa Bay.