MLB Player News
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Austin Hedges C | CLE
Guardians' Austin Hedges: Not in Friday's lineup
Hedges will sit Friday against the Dodgers.
Hedges hits the bench for the second time in three games. He's slashing an anemic .172/.226/273 on the year and hasn't posted a batting average above .200 since 2018 but has nonetheless started 40 of Cleveland's first 60 games behind the plate. Luke Maile will get the nod this time around.
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Reese McGuire C | CHW
White Sox's Reese McGuire: Not starting Friday
McGuire isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros.
McGuire has gone 4-for-12 with a double, four runs, a walk and three strikeouts over his last four games but will be out of the lineup for a second consecutive matchup. Seby Zavala is starting behind the dish and batting eighth.
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Ryan Jeffers C | MIN
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Not starting Friday
Jeffers isn't starting Friday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Jeffers started in the last two games and went 2-for-6 with a double, a run, an RBI, a walk and two strikeouts during that time. He'll get a day off while Gary Sanchez starts behind the dish with Gilberto Celestino drawing the start in center field.
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Jose Trevino C | CIN
Yankees' Jose Trevino: On bench Friday
Trevino is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.
Trevino and Kyle Higashioka have alternated starts over the past nine games, and that trend will continue Friday after Trevino went 0-for-3 during Thursday's win over the Rays.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Not in Friday's lineup
Mejia is out of the lineup for Friday's game at Baltimore, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Mejia has worked as Tampa Bay's primary catcher over the past week with Mike Zunino (shoulder) on the shelf, but he's failed to take advantage thus far and is 1-for-17 in his past six contests. Rene Pinto will take over behind the plate Friday.
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Eric Haase C | SF
Tigers' Eric Haase: Showing more life lately
Haase, who went 2-for-4 with a double in Thursday's loss to the Rangers, is slashing .273/.304/.455 through eight games this month.
Considering Haase is slashing just .191/.248/.309 for the season, his June performance has been a breath of fresh air. He's still in a reserve role, with Tucker Barnhart serving as Detroit's top catcher, so Haase's fantasy value will be limited unless his playing time increases.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Swats third homer
Mejia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Yankees.
Mejia took Ryan Weber yard in the fifth inning to record his third homer of the season. He's taken over as the primary catcher in Tampa Bay with Mike Zunino (shoulder) sidelined, but Mejia has only three hits in 25 at-bats across his last eight games. Overall, Mejia is hitting just .206/.212/.353 line across 104 plate appearances on the campaign.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: On base three times Thursday
Kirk went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.
Getting the start at DH and hitting cleanup, Kirk was the only Blue Jay to collect multiple hits in a rough 10-2 loss. Rookie Gabriel Moreno seems to be Toronto's preferred option behind the plate right now given his defensive skills, but Kirk has still started five of seven games since Moreno's promotion as he splits time between designated hitter and catcher. Kirk's .356/.442/.556 slash line in June with two homers, eight RBI and nine runs through 52 plate appearances makes a compelling case for a consistent spot in the lineup.
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Tucker Barnhart C | TEX
Tigers' Tucker Barnhart: Remains on bench
Barnhart remains on the bench Thursday against Texas.
Barnhart hasn't sat in back-to-back games at any prior point this season, which raises the possibility that he's dealing with an unreported minor injury. He did make an appearance off the bench Wednesday, however, which suggests that this might be nothing other than a chance to clear his head after he opened the year with a .541 OPS through 43 games. Eric Haase will make his second straight start behind the plate.
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Tom Murphy C | SF
Mariners' Tom Murphy: Ramping rehab back up
Murphy (shoulder) is back to doing work in the batting cage following a temporary shutdown of his rehab process, the Associated Press reports.
The veteran backstop is both batting and catching balls from a machine as he begins to ramp his rehab work following a pause. Murphy had previously been shut down for 10 days due to a lack of responsiveness from his shoulder, so the fact he seems to be increasing his activity level without any reported setbacks is encouraging.