MLB Player News

Jansen is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Jansen has been handling the bulk of the catching duties of late, but he will be held out Thursday with the Blue Jays playing a day game following a night game. Gabriel Moreno will replace Jansen behind the plate.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Kirk did not appear in Wednesday's game, and he will open on the bench for a second straight day. No injury has been reported, so as things stands it appears he is just getting a couple days off amid a 4-for-23 stretch at the plate.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Athletics.

Heim entered the contest with no homers over 30 games since Aug. 3, but he snapped that skid with a 427-foot, two-run shot in the fifth inning. The long ball was his 14th of the season, tied for fifth-most among AL catchers despite the lengthy drought. Heim also has 46 RBI and a .232/.309/.406 slash line on the campaign.

Quero wrapped the 2022 regular season at High-A Inland Empire with a .312/.435/.530 batting line, 17 homers and 12 steals through 111 games.

There are few -- if any -- flaws to be found in Quero's stat line this season. He led the 66ers in average, homers, RBI (75) and runs (86), and he did so while putting up a terrific 73:91 BB:K. To highlight just how special this season was for the 19-year-old Quero, when J.T. Realmuto was his age, he hit .175 in rookie ball. Switch-hitting catchers with both power and speed -- not to mention the polish to put up a .965 OPS in full-season ball at 19 -- pretty much don't exist, so while Quero has gotten shockingly little hype in dynasty circles thus far, he won't fly under the radar for long. Of course, he's still several years removed from the big leagues.

Kirk isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Kirk is getting a day off after he hit .333 with two doubles, six RBI, four runs, three walks and five strikeouts over the last eight games. Vladimir Guerrero will rest his legs as the designated hitter during Wednesday's matchup.

Mejia isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia has alternated starts behind the dish recently and will retreat to the bench after he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Tuesday's nightcap. Christian Bethancourt is starting at catcher and batting seventh.

Vazquez will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With top backstop Martin Maldonado resting for the day game after a night game, Vazquez will draw just his fifth start of September. The 32-year-old catcher is hitting .246 with no extra-base hits in 22 games since being acquired from the Red Sox on Aug. 1.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Grandal is getting a breather for the day game after catching each of the White Sox's last three contests. Seby Zavala will start behind the plate, forming a battery with Dylan Cease.

Jeffers (thumb) has started to play rehab games in instructional league, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

It sounds like he could return in the next week or so, but there's no definitive timetable for his activation from the injured list. It's also possible he could be shut down with any setback with the Twins falling far out of playoff contention. Jeffers has been on the 10-day IL since undergoing surgery to repair an avulsion fracture of his right thumb July 20.

Maldonado isn't starting Wednesday against the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado is on the bench for the second time in the last four games after he went 1-for-7 with a run and two strikeouts over the last two matchups. Christian Vazquez is starting behind the plate and batting seventh.