MLB Player News

Jansen (hand) is starting at catcher and batting seventh Sunday against the Cubs, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen missed two games as a result of a bruised right hand, but he'll return for the conclusion of Toronto's weekend series with the Cubs. The 28-year-old backstop is just 3-for-23 with a homer and three RBI since the start of August.

Langeliers isn't in Oakland's lineup Sunday against Washington.

Langeliers will catch a breather Sunday after going 2-for-6 with a walk during the first two games of the series. Tyler Soderstrom will start behind the plate, and Brent Rooker will serve as the DH while Langeliers rests.

Garver went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-3 win over the Giants.

Garver's RBI single in the fourth inning put the Rangers ahead 2-1, and he knocked in another pair of singles with another single in the ninth. Across his 13 games since Jonah Heim (wrist) went on the injured list, Garver has hit .348 (16-for-46) with three home runs and 10 RBI. He's up to a .282/.356/.487 slash line with eight homers, 30 RBI, 21 runs scored and eight doubles across 46 contests this season.

Higashioka is catching and batting ninth for the Yankees on Saturday against Miami, marking the third straight game that he has started behind the plate.

Early in the week it appeared that Higashioka had fallen behind Ben Rortvedt on the depth chart after sitting four times in a span of six games, but that trend has since reversed with the former logging three straight starts at catcher. Higashioka may have helped his case the last time he began a contest on the bench, as he came on as a pinch hitter Aug. 8 against the White Sox and slugged a two-run homer. The veteran added three hits and a pair of RBI in Friday's win over the Marlins, so manager Aaron Boone may be riding the hot bat as the Yankees attempt to move into playoff position. While Higashioka hasn't been great this season with a .235/.274/.390 slash line, seven homers, 30 RBI and a 27.7 percent strikeout rate, Rortvedt is slashing a measly .107/.265/.143 with no homers and one RBI, though he does boast an impressive 17.6 percent walk rate.

Maldonado will hit the bench for the second time in three games Saturday against the Angels.

Yordan Alvarez's return from an oblique injury in late July bumped Yainer Diaz from the designated hitter spot and into more of a competition with Maldonado behind the plate. Prior to Alvarez's return, Maldonado started 75 of 102 games behind the plate (74 percent). With Alvarez back in the fold, Maldonado has gotten the nod 10 times in 16 games, or 62.5 percent of the time. That's still enough to make him the clear primary backstop, but his .181/.249/.317 slash line leaves him with minimal fantasy value even in that role.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.

Naylor has struggled so far in August, going 2-for-21 at the plate in eight games, though his 6:6 K:BB over that stretch suggests he's still seeing the ball well. Cam Gallagher will start behind the plate Saturday.

Bethancourt will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt hits the bench after starting four of the last five games. He's seen his playing time slightly increase while Francisco Mejia (knee) is on the injured list, but it will be Rene Pinto who squats behind the plate Saturday.

Rogers will sit Saturday against Boston.

Rogers' lopsided .211/.286/.439 slash line is good for a respectable 98 wRC+, and his 14 homers tie him for 10th among all catchers. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate Saturday.

Wong will sit for the third time in four games Saturday against the Tigers.

Wong has started 77 of Boston's 117 games behind the plate this season, the eight-highest total in the league among catchers. His .244/.298/.389 slash line isn't particularly impressive, though Saturday's starter Reese McGuire owns a similar .267/.305/.367 line, which doesn't signal that the depth chart is about to flip.

Langeliers went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a walk in a loss to the Nationals on Friday.

Langeliers posted the only multi-hit effort of the night for the Athletics while also swiping his second base of the season. The 25-year-old has hit safely in five of his first seven starts of August, a stretch where he's partly offset a 24.0 percent strikeout rate by walking at a 12.0 percent clip.