MLB Player News

Grandal (back) went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run with two walks in a rehab appearance with Double-A Birmingham on Friday.

Grandal was in the lineup for the second consecutive game with Birmingham, and he served as the designated hitter on each occasion. He's gone 3-for-6 with four walks in his two starts, but he is still expected to remain on his rehab assignment through the All-Star break.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 12-5 loss to the Yankees.

Vazquez continued a hot stretch with another three hits. He's hit safely in 13 of 14 games since June 21, slashing .400/.464/.560 with five RBI and seven runs scored.

Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in an 8-3 win over the Athletics on Friday.

Maldonado's three-run home run gives him eight long balls on the year to go along with 21 RBI. The 35-year-old catcher has put together a couple of good games in a row. In his previous game played against the Royals, he went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. The veteran has never hit more than 14 homers in a previous season and is a career .208 hitter.

Garver will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his injured flexor tendon Monday but will be available for the team's current series against the Twins, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Although Garver will require a season-ending procedure after dealing with a flexor issue over the last few months, the Rangers will allow him to play against his former team this weekend prior to being shut down for the season. Once the 31-year-old undergoes surgery, Jonah Heim should serve as the Rangers' primary catcher, while Brad Miller should see an uptick in playing time as the designated hitter.

Raleigh will sit Friday against Toronto.

The Mariners rotated their three catchers heavily early in the season, but Raleigh has handled a very heavy workload lately with Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy both out with shoulder injuries. Raleigh started nine of the last 10 games heading into Friday's contest, but it will be Andrew Knapp behind the plate Friday.

Leon was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Friday.

Leon served as catching depth over the last week and a half but will exit the roster after Austin Hedges (concussion) was reinstated from the injured list. Leon hit .133 with six walks and four strikeouts during his time on the major-league roster.

Hedges (concussion) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Hedges was on the shelf for a week and a half but is starting behind the dish and batting eighth during Friday's matchup against the Royals. He hit just .111 with a homer, three runs and three RBI over his last 10 games leading up to his absence but should serve as the Guardians' primary catcher now that he's healthy.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Friday's game at Texas, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Sanchez is mired in a 2-for-17 slump and finds himself on the bench for the second straight game. Alex Kirilloff (undisclosed) will serve as the designated hitter while Nick Gordon starts in left field.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Friday's game at Cincinnati, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have alternated starters behind the plate over the past six games, and that trend will continue Friday after Mejia started Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Rene Pinto will catch and bat eighth for Tampa Bay.

Rutschman is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Angels, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman will get a day off after he went 4-for-18 with a homer, a double, two RBI and four runs over the last five games. Robinson Chirinos will take over behind the plate and bat eighth against the Angels.