MLB Player News

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Yankees.

Rutschman extended his hitting streak to five games (8-for-22) with the three-hit effort. The catcher, who will be in Seattle for the All-Star Game next week, is slashing .273/.377/.421 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, 36 RBI and 39 runs scored through 80 contests. He remains one of the best at his position and a near-everyday presence in the No. 2 spot in the Orioles' order.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Monday against the Rangers.

Diaz blasted his long ball in the second inning against Martin Perez. It was his eighth of the season and fifth in 20 games since Yordan Alvarez (oblique) has been sidelined, during which time he's served as Houston's primary designated hitter. In addition to the power, Diaz hasn't looked overmatched with the more consistent playing time, as he's struck out at only a 21.8 percent clip and has hit .263 across 76 at-bats. The Astros haven't been willing to play him much behind the plate, leaving his role with the team unclear when Alvarez is able to return. However, Diaz is certainly making manager Dusty Baker's potential decision to bench him a difficult one.

Higashioka went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and a double in Monday's 6-3 victory versus the Orioles.

Higashioka followed Anthony Volpe's fifth-inning solo shot with one of his own to help the Yankees rally from an early deficit. The long ball was the backstop's first since May 13, a span of 34 games. Higashioka went deep 10 times in each of the past two seasons but may have trouble reaching that mark this year, as he's tallied just four homers with more than half of the campaign in the rearview mirror.

Perez is absent from the Royals' lineup Monday due to a sore foot as a result of being hit by a pitch in Sunday's win over the Dodgers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Manager Matt Quatraro said that Perez could have served as the team's designated hitter, but he wanted to be safe with the slugger. Perez will be available off the bench and would seem to have a good shot to return to the lineup Tuesday.

Perez is absent from the lineup for Monday's tilt in Minnesota.

Perez started each of the last five contests after returning from a minor eye procedure, but he'll get a day off Monday. Freddy Fermin will do the catching for Austin Cox and bat sixth.

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

Trevino will take a seat for the series opener with Baltimore after he worked behind the plate in three of the Yankees' past four contests. Kyle Higashioka will catch for starting pitcher Domingo German on Monday, after the two previously worked in tandem for German's perfect game against the Athletics last week.

Fry went 0-for-4 with one RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 8-6 extra-inning win over the Cubs.

Fry knocked in a run on a fielder's choice and stole second in the fourth inning. The steal was his first at the major-league level. Fry provides cover at a number of defensive positions, but he isn't getting into the starting lineup frequently -- he's started in just seven of the 24 games he's played. Fry owns a .270/.308/.378 slash line with a home run, five RBI and four runs scored over 39 plate appearances.

Murphy went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in a win over the White Sox on Sunday.

Murphy continued to reward manager Scott Servais for affording him one of his occasional starts, slugging his fifth homer of the season in the sixth inning and serving as a thorn in the side of Rays pitching throughout the afternoon. The 32-year-old has pushed his season slash line to a stellar .281/.337/.551 across 98 plate appearances, with the latter figure largely the byproduct of Murphy lacing 14 of his 25 hits for extra bases. Murphy has notably drawn starts in three of his last four games -- the first time that's happened all season -- and the combination of his hot bat and ability to fill in at both designated hitter and catcher could afford him similarly frequent playing time moving forward.

Rogers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Sunday's 14-9 win over the Rockies.

Rogers was steady in June, batting .286 (14-for-49) with four homers over 17 games. He kept his power up in his first contest in July, giving him 11 long balls on the year. The catcher continues to have a slight edge over Eric Haase for playing time, though that could change when the Tigers get some outfielders back from the injured list. Rogers is slashing .203/.304/.473 with 26 RBI, 23 runs scored and seven doubles through 172 plate appearances, and he's hit safely in six of his last seven games.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Naylor appears to be receiving some routine maintenance after he started behind the dish in the first two games of the series in Chicago while going hitless in seven at-bats. Cam Gallagher will form a battery with starting pitcher Aaron Civale in the series finale.