MLB Player News

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the Red Sox.

Raleigh got Seattle's comeback effort started Wednesday with a two-run homer off John Schreiber in the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to 3-2. It's Raleigh's third home run in his last three games and his 17th of the year. The 26-year-old backstop has been swinging a hot bat of late -- he's now 12-for-37 (.324) with four long balls in his last 10 contests. Overall, Raleigh's now slashing .230/.308/.447 with 50 runs scored and 45 RBI across 354 plate appearances this season.

Rogers recorded a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

Rogers took a seat to begin the game, with Eric Haase getting the start behind the plate, but the former made an impact in his lone at-bat during the eighth inning. Rogers now has 13 home runs and a .748 OPS this season, compared to just three long balls and a .506 OPS for Haase. The superior offensive performance should keep Rogers in the lineup most days moving forward.

Soderstrom is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Soderstrom has a .467 OPS in his first 13 big-league contests and will head to the bench Wednesday after he started the previous three games. Shea Langeliers will work behind the plate while Brent Rooker serves as the designated hitter.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Fermin will head to the bench after he served as the Royals' starting catcher in four of the past five games. Salvador Perez, who started at first base and designated hitter in the last two contests, will move behind the plate Wednesday.

Zavala will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Zavala will be making his sixth start behind the plate in seven games, though Yasmani Grandal was simultaneously included in the lineup at first base for one of those contests. For the third game in a row, however, Grandal finds himself on the bench, so unless he's dealing with an unreported illness or injury, he appears to have ceded the No. 1 catcher's role to Zavala. Given that Zavala is getting on base at a .133 clip in 10 games since the All-Star break, he's not yet doing anything to run away with the job.

Grandal is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Grandal hasn't drawn a start since Saturday, though he came off the bench Tuesday and there's no word of any new physical issue. Seby Zavala will catch again and bat ninth Wednesday versus Texas.

Bethancourt is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees.

Rene Pinto will start at catcher for the Rays and bat ninth. Bethancourt has gone 1-for-21 (.048) over his last nine games and is slashing just .130/.200/.152 in 50 plate appearances since the beginning of July.

Higashioka is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Ben Rortvedt will start behind the plate and bat ninth after Higashioka went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Tuesday as his season slash line fell to .225/.259/.376. Higashioka should still be the Yankees' primary catcher the rest of the way with Jose Trevino (wrist) officially done for the year.

Fry will start at first base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game at Houston.

Fry will be making his second consecutive start at first base while Josh Naylor (side) remains out of the lineup, but the Guardians could have room in the starting nine for both players once Naylor is back to 100 percent health. Naylor and Josh Bell had been sharing first base and designated hitter duties this season, but the Guardians now have a permanent opening in the lineup after trading Bell to the Marlins on Tuesday. In addition to first base, Fry has picked up starts at catcher, third base, left field and right field, so he'll have multiple pathways to regular playing time even if the Guardians choose to rotate a number of players at the DH spot rather than settling on a primary option.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians.

Yainer Diaz will start behind the plate and bat eighth after Maldonado caught Framber Valdez's no-hitter Tuesday night against Cleveland. Maldonado is the better defensive option of the two Houston backstops, but Diaz carries far more offensive upside.