MLB Player News

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Raleigh started the first two games of the series in Houston and will head to the bench Sunday after going 1-for-9 with an RBI and four strikeouts. Brian O'Keefe will take over behind the plate in the series finale.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Rortvedt will take a seat for the series finale after starting in three of the past four games behind the dish. The 25-year-old might have the edge on playing time over Kyle Higashioka behind the plate at the moment, but any advantage Rortvedt might have is likely thin. Rortvedt is batting .059 in 15 games since being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 21.

McCann went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 7-2 extra-inning win over the Athletics.

McCann popped a go-ahead solo shot in the fourth inning and added a two-run single to cap off the Orioles' rally in the 10th. The veteran has made the most of his chances in August, going 12-for-25 (.480) with a homer and 11 RBI this month. He's at a .243/.283/.405 slash line with four homers, 21 RBI, 19 runs scored and three stolen bases through 162 plate appearances on the year.

Jeffers (back) remains on the bench for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

Jeffers was scratched from the lineup Friday with a sore back, an issue which will sideline him for at least one more day. Christian Vazquez remains the starter behind the plate.

Haase was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

With Haase being dropped from the 40-man roster, Detroit signed Carson Kelly to a major-league contract Saturday. Haase has struggled to a .201 average with 13 extra-base hits, 26 RBI, 22 runs and three stolen bases over 264 at-bats in 86 games with the Tigers this year. The catcher will now either get claimed by another team, report to Triple-A Toledo or be released outright.

Kelly and the Tigers agreed on a major-league contract with a club option for 2024 on Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Kelly was released by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, but it didn't take long for him to find a new squad. The catcher struggled to a .226 average with one homer, six RBI, six runs and a stolen base over 84 at-bats in 33 games with Arizona this season. Kelly will seemingly replace Eric Haase as Detroit's primary backup behind Jake Rogers moving forward after Haase was designated for assignment Saturday.

O'Hoppe will be on the bench for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against Tampa Bay, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

O'Hoppe returned Friday from a shoulder injury which at one point seemed likely to keep him out for the entire season. The Angels are no doubt thrilled to have the young catcher back in action, but he was never going to be asked to start two games in one day even if he hadn't just returned from injury. Matt Thaiss starts behind the plate in the matinee, but O'Hoppe will likely return to the lineup for the nightcap.

O'Hoppe went 0-for-5 in a loss to the Rays on Friday.

O'Hoppe made a quicker-than-expected return to the majors Friday following a stay on the 60-day injured list due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The 23-year-old showed some rust with the hitless performance, though that shouldn't prevent him from working as the Angels' primary catcher moving forward. The team designated Chad Wallach for assignment upon O'Hoppe's return, and backup backstop Matt Thaiss has struggled thus far in August, going 4-for-31 at the plate.

Higashioka finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games Saturday against the Red Sox.

Higashioka has started just two of the last six games, though that follows a stretch in which he started three straight. His .230/.267/.378 slash line isn't exactly starting catcher material, so he'll likely continue to split time with Ben Rortvedt down the stretch with Jose Trevino (wrist) done for the year.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Friday's 9-4 win over the Athletics.

Rutschman recently endured a 1-for-21 skid, but he's collected five hits over his last two games to get back on track. The catcher is slashing .272/.367/.430 with 16 home runs, 58 RBI, 61 runs scored, 21 doubles and a triple over 117 contests. He's been hitting out of the leadoff spot lately, even with speedier options like Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson available.