MLB Player News

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.

Jansen (hand) remains on the bench for Saturday's game against the Cubs.

Jansen hasn't played since behind hit by a pitch Thursday against the Guardians. He was diagnosed with nothing worse than a hand contusion, but it will again be Alejandro Kirk who starts behind the plate Saturday.

Perez went 4-for-4 with one double, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory over the Cardinals.

Perez opened the floodgates for Kansas City with a two-run double in the first, then followed with a solo home run in the second to put the Royals up by nine. Perez now has 17 home runs on the season but has been struggling since the start of June, entering the game with a .204 batting average to go along with just five homers and 13 RBI over that stretch. Perhaps this performance will help springboard the 33-year-old veteran to a big finish to his season.

Garver went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Giants.

Garver homered just one pitch after Nathaniel Lowe opened the scoring in the sixth inning. After a stretch where he hit safely in 12 of 13 games, Garver had gone 0-for-6 across his last two contests before snapping the mini-skid. The catcher is up to eight homers, 27 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and a .272/.349/.483 slash line over 169 plate appearances this season. He continues to see a starting role while Jonah Heim (wrist) is out, though Garver could see more time at designated hitter once the Rangers' top backstop is back.

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-2 win over the Orioles.

Raleigh continued his recent power surge -- his homer Friday was his sixth in his last 10 games. The catcher's first-inning blast set an early tone in the Mariners' favor. He's smacked a team-leading 20 long balls with 51 RBI, 54 runs scored and a .227/.310/.455 slash line through 100 contests this season.