MLB Player News

Heim went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Astros.

Heim returned to the lineup after a rest day and finished off a strong month of June (.849 OPS) with his 12th home run of the season. The recently named All-Star starter has maintained a productive bat since Opening Day, when he had two hits and two RBI. Heim ranks second on the Rangers with 57 RBI.

Texas optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Huff drew only three plate appearances and did not get a start during his two-week stay on the Rangers' roster. The 25-year-old has posted an encouraging .836 OPS with nine home runs and 37 RBI over 41 games this season at the Triple-A level, but Texas is all set at the catcher position between Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver.

The White Sox recalled Perez from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Perez was optioned to Charlotte after a brief stint with the White Sox in mid-May, and he's slashed .224/.292/.336 in the minors since then. Perez likely won't get much playing time in the majors behind Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala, though he can also play first base in a pinch. Adam Haseley was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Trevino is not in the lineup Friday at St. Louis.

Kyle Higashioka will start at catcher and bat ninth. Trevino caught all nine innings in Thursday's series finale at Oakland.

McCann (ankle) said Friday that he expects to be activated from the injured list early next week, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

McCann resumed baseball activities this past Monday and looks poised to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment sometime this weekend. The veteran backup catcher has been sidelined since June 17 due to a left ankle sprain. Anthony Bemboom will likely lose his spot on the Orioles' major-league roster whenever McCann is ready.

Vazquez is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Orioles.

Vazquez will take a seat after he went 0-for-4 with two walks and a strikeout while starting two games during the team's series with Atlanta. Ryan Jeffers will draw the start at catcher and bat seventh in the series opener with Baltimore.

Diaz went 3-for-6 with two doubles and one RBI in Thursday's 14-0 win over the Cardinals.

Diaz has six multi-hit efforts over 20 games in June, and he's batting .313 (25-for-80) for the month. His strong hitting has helped him force his way into the lineup on a regular basis, splitting time between designated hitter and catcher. Diaz has maintained a .275/.287/.500 slash line with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored over 150 plate appearances. His walk rate remains low at 2.0 percent, which may make his recent success hard to sustain.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Thursday at St. Louis.

Yainer Diaz will catch and bat fifth versus the Cardinals and right-hander Adam Wainwright. Bligh Madris is serving as the Astros' designated hitter and batting seventh.

Toronto activated Kirk (hand) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

It was a minimum stay on the IL as Kirk recovered from a laceration and bruise on his left hand. Maybe the time off can function as a reset of sorts for the 24-year-old catcher and designated hitter, who has posted an underwhelming .253/.337/.331 slash line with three home runs and 21 RBI through 59 games this season.

Toronto optioned Heineman to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Alejandro Kirk (hand) is back from the 10-day injured list, so Heineman was no longer needed as depth at the catcher position. The 32-year-old holds a weak .217/.290/.277 career batting line in 266 major-league plate appearances.