MLB Player News

Kirk is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game versus the Mets.

Kirk has swung the bat well as of late and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in the Blue Jays' win over the Mets on Saturday, but he'll get a day of rest for the series finale against New York. Tyler Heineman is starting behind the plate in Kirk's absence.

Garver started at designated hitter and went 2-for-5 a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 16-6 win over the Mariners.

Garver made his first appearance with the Rangers since April 8 after being activated off the injured list Friday. Between serving as a designated hitter and operating as a backup option at catcher behind Jonah Heim, Garver should be able to hold down at least a semi-regular role now that he's healthy again. Depending on fantasy league rules, Garver may not yet qualify as a catcher in 2023 after logging only 14 starts behind the plate in 2022 and three so far this season.

Bethancourt will be on the bench for the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against Boston, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Bethancourt hits the bench after going 1-for-10 with a run scored in the first game of the day. Francisco Mejia will take over behind the plate. Bethancourt still has the clear edge in playing time on the season, starting 35 games to Mejia's 25, though he's yet to make more than two starts in a row at any point this season.

Raleigh is out of the lineup Saturday against the Rangers.

Tom Murphy will catch and bat seventh versus the Rangers and left-hander Andrew Heaney as Raleigh grabs a bit of rest Saturday in Texas.

Leon went 0-for-2 in Friday's 2-0 win over the Mariners.

Leon guided Jon Gray through seven scoreless innings before being replaced by Jonah Heim. For now, Leon survived the return of Mitch Garver from the injured list. Once Ezequiel Duran (oblique) is ready, Leon's roster spot could be in jeopardy.

Ford has produced a .246 average and .824 OPS across 222 plate appearances over 46 games with High-A Everett this season.

The standout catching prospect hasn't quite performed to the same caliber as during his stints at the Rookie and Single-A levels, but his numbers aren't far behind. Ford has generated 13 extra-base hits, 26 RBI, seven stolen bases, 38 runs and an impressive 47 walks for the AquaSox, with the latter figure playing a sizable role in his elite .429 OBP. Ford has also impressively whittled his strikeout rate down to 18 percent despite the bump up in competition, and while he almost certainly remains multiple seasons away from the big-league level, he's adapted quickly to each move up the organizational ladder thus far.

Vazquez isn't in the Twins' lineup Friday against Cleveland.

Vazquez has collected four hits over his last two games, but Ryan Jeffers will get the nod instead and bat sixth Friday. Vazquez and Jeffers have alternated starts since May 23.

Heim is out of the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Sandy Leon will catch and bat ninth versus the Mariners and right-hander Luis Castillo as Heim grabs a bit of rest. Heim handled the catching duties in all three games of the Rangers' previous series at Detroit.

Garver was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Garver has been on the shelf since early April with a knee injury but has been cleared to return following a successful rehab assignment which saw him go 6-for-19 with a pair of home runs in six games. Jonah Heim will remain the Rangers' primary catcher and Sandy Leon is still on the roster, but Garver should see a good number of starts at designated hitter while also being mixed in at catcher.

The Yankees traded Godoy to the Orioles on Friday.

Godoy holds an .855 OPS through 41 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. He'll provide the Orioles with organizational depth behind the plate, but Godoy's .334 OPS in the majors will likely prevent the team from bringing him onto the big-league squad anytime soon.