MLB Player News

Stassi is not in the Angels' lineup for Friday's game against Houston, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi has not been much of a threat at the plate this season, and his most recent cold spell -- he has a .374 OPS since the beginning of August -- hasn't helped him secure playing time. Instead, Matt Thaiss will serve as the Angels' catcher Friday.

Jansen will sit for the second straight game Friday against the Pirates, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen's day off comes right after a run of three straight starts. He's hitting a lopsided but effective .219/.293/.474 through 157 plate appearances this season. Alejandro Kirk will start behind the plate Friday, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. resting his legs as the designated hitter.

McGuire will sit Friday against Texas, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

McGuire started five out of seven games from Aug. 24 through Aug. 30, going 8-for-19 at the plate and seemingly solidifying himself as Boston's primary catcher. He's now been on the bench for three straight games however, with Connor Wong getting the nod behind the plate Friday after Kevin Plawecki started the prior two contests.

Mejia will be on the bench Friday against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia sits after starting two straight games. Christian Bethancourt will take over behind the plate.

Rutschman is not in Friday's lineup against the Athletics, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Rutschman has cooled off a little of late, hitting .212/.323/.375 with three home runs and one steal over his last 80 at-bats. Robinson Chirinos will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Casali went 1-for-4 with a two-run double and a run in a win over the Tigers on Thursday.

Casali's fourth-inning two-bagger brought home J.P. Crawford and Sam Haggerty with the fourth and fifth runs of the day for the Mariners. The veteran backstop has only appeared in five games since making his Seattle debut Aug. 14, a sample during which he's hit just .133 (2-for-15).

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI on Thursday against the Nationals.

Langeliers led off the fifth inning with his third career homer. Five frames later, he delivered a two-RBI double that gave Oakland a short-lived lead. Entering the game, Langeliers was hitless across his last 13 at-bats with seven strikeouts. In 58 big-league plate appearances, Langeliers has maintained a .232/.241/.518 with a 43.1 percent strikeout rate.

Diaz's contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz has been productive at Sugar Land this season but has been particularly dominant at the plate over the last two weeks. He's put together eight multi-hit performances over the last 12 games and has slashed .393/.443/.661 with four home runs, three doubles, 17 runs and 14 RBI over that stretch. The 23-year-old will provide catching depth for the Astros, but he also has experience at first base and the corner-outfield spots.

The Red Sox recalled Wong from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Wong becomes the Red Sox's third catcher on the 28-man active roster, joining Reese McGuire and Kevin Plawecki. With neither of the other two backstops having established himself as Boston's clear No. 1 catcher, it wouldn't be surprising if Wong received an extended look at some point while the team remains out of contention for a playoff spot. Wong produced an .832 OPS over his 355 plate appearances at Worcester.

McGuire isn't starting Thursday against the Rangers, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

McGuire has recorded hits in each of his last five games but will head to the bench for a second consecutive matchup. Kevin Plawecki is starting behind the plate and batting ninth.