MLB Player News

Maldonado is not in the lineup Thursday at St. Louis.

Yainer Diaz will catch and bat fifth versus the Cardinals and right-hander Adam Wainwright. Bligh Madris is serving as the Astros' designated hitter and batting seventh.

Toronto activated Kirk (hand) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

It was a minimum stay on the IL as Kirk recovered from a laceration and bruise on his left hand. Maybe the time off can function as a reset of sorts for the 24-year-old catcher and designated hitter, who has posted an underwhelming .253/.337/.331 slash line with three home runs and 21 RBI through 59 games this season.

Toronto optioned Heineman to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Alejandro Kirk (hand) is back from the 10-day injured list, so Heineman was no longer needed as depth at the catcher position. The 32-year-old holds a weak .217/.290/.277 career batting line in 266 major-league plate appearances.

Langeliers is absent from the lineup Thursday against the Yankees, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Langeliers will sit out the afternoon tilt after catching Wednesday night's loss which saw the Athletics become the victim of a perfect game. Carlos Perez will catch Hogan Harris.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Kansas City.

It's a day game after a night game and Naylor had started each of the previous four contests behind the plate, so he'll get a breather for this one. Cam Gallagher will do the catching for Shane Bieber.

Murphy went 3-for-3 in a loss to the Nationals on Wednesday.

The veteran backstop drew the start against left-hander Patrick Corbin and authored his first three-hit game of the season and seventh multi-hit effort overall. Murphy's appearance in the starting nine was only his second in the last 10 games as Cal Raleigh continues to command the majority of playing time behind the dish. However, Murphy has been progressively more productive in recent opportunities, now having hit safely in four of his last five starts and raising his average 44 points to .259 in the process.

Haase is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Rangers, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Haase started 12 of the Tigers' first 13 games against left-handers this season but has since been in the lineup just twice the last five times they've faced southpaws. After putting up a .778 OPS versus lefties in 2022, he's managed just a .522 OPS so far against them in 2023. Jake Rogers will catch Thursday and Matt Vierling will play left field.

Heim is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Tigers.

Heim will grab a bit of rest after making five straight starts behind the plate. Mitch Garver is catching for the Rangers in Thursday's matinee, and Ezequiel Duran will fill the DH role.

Naylor went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and three total runs in a blowout 14-1 win against the Royals on Wednesday.

Naylor had struggled in 12 big-league games (including five last season) coming into Wednesday, going 3-for-32 with no extra-base hits and 15 strikeouts. His considerable talent showed up against KC, though, as he smashed a 417-foot two-run shot in the sixth inning for his first major-league long ball and finished with his first three-hit game. Naylor has been getting consistent playing time behind the plate since being called up June 17, and if he's able to use Wednesday's performance as a launch point to more consistent offense, he should further cement his role as the Guardians' primary backstop.

Zavala went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 11-5 win over the Angels.

Zavala had gone just 1-for-20 across 10 games since his previous multi-homer game June 6 versus the Yankees. The catcher remains in a backup role behind Yasmani Grandal, which gives Zavala few opportunities to prove himself. While he's up to six homers on the year, the 29-year-old has slashed just .168/.200/.336 with 15 RBI, 11 runs scored and a stolen base over 120 plate appearances.