MLB Player News

Langeliers drew his first big-league start at catcher in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday, going 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

The rookie backstop also threw out Marcus Semien on an attempted steal of second base in the first inning and had three assists overall in the first three frames, per the Associated Press. Langeliers has gotten off to a hot start with his bat against big-league arms, with all three of his hits over his first three games going for extra bases (two doubles and a home run).

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Royals.

Bethancourt took Josh Staumont yard in the eighth inning to record his sixth homer of the season. It was only his second home run since joining the Rays on July 11, and he has a poor .200/.214/.327 slash line across 55 at-bats with his new team. Bethancourt has lost out on some playing time since the return of Francisco Mejia, but he has still been in the lineup for six of the team's last 12 games.

Jansen isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Yankees.

Jansen has alternated starts behind the dish recently and went 1-for-3 with a run, a walk and a strikeout Wednesday against Baltimore . Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher while George Springer serves as the designated hitter Thursday.

Mejia isn't starting Thursday against the Royals, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia is in the midst of a six-game hit streak in which he's slashed .391/.440/.565 with four doubles, four RBI and three runs. However, he'll get a breather Thursday while Christian Bethancourt starts behind the plate and bats seventh.

McGuire will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

McGuire is drawing his third consecutive start and appears to have leapfrogged Kevin Plawecki on the depth chart at catcher. Regarded as a solid defender and pitch framer, McGuire has added to his value by producing an .847 OPS in his first eight games with Boston since coming over in a deadline deal with the White Sox. Once his bat predictably cools down, McGuire could fall back into more of a timeshare with Plawecki.

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.

Plawecki will sit for the third game in a row, and for the time being, he looks to be Boston's clear No. 2 catcher behind Reese McGuire. The deadline deal that sent Christian Vazquez to Houston was expected to open up more opportunities for Plawecki, but McGuire -- who was acquired from the White Sox on Aug. 2 -- has performed better than expected with the bat and has at least temporarily earned the No. 1 role.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Even after Houston dealt for an established everyday catcher in Christian Vazquez ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, Maldonado has remained the Astros' No. 1 backstop. Though Vazquez is behind the dish Thursday, Maldonado has dominated the playing time, catching in four of the previous five contests. Aside from popping the occasional home run, Maldonado's fantasy utility is limited, but his defensive acumen and chemistry with the pitching staff should continue to earn him ample opportunities for Houston.

Zavala will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Astros.

Though Zavala is nominally the White Sox's No. 2 catcher, Yasmani Grandal's underwhelming production has allowed Zavala to pick up more playing time than anticipated. With Grandal resting for the series finale, Zavala will catch for the third time in five games. For the season, the 28-year-old backstop owns a .287/.331/.410 slash line over 135 plate appearances.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Grandal will be getting a breather after he started each of the past three games -- two at catcher and one as a designated hitter -- while going 2-for-9 with two walks. Though Grandal remains the White Sox's top option behind the plate, his grip on the No. 1 role has loosened while he's submitted a disappointing .565 OPS over 283 plate appearances on the season in addition to missing time due to injury. Seby Zavala will catch for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito on Thursday.

Raleigh went 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Angels.

Raleigh launched a solo shot in the fifth inning, then a two-run homer in the ninth that scored J.P. Crawford. The catcher is up to 18 home runs on the year and four for the month. Raleigh has struggled for consistency, picking up 10 hits this month while also striking out 14 times. His batting average now sits at .208, the highest it has been since it was .211 on July 30.