MLB Player News

Jansen is on the bench for Tuesday's game in Boston.

The 27-year-old takes a seat while Alejandro Kirk catches the series opener. Jansen has gone a miserable 4-for-32 with four RBI and 10 strikeouts in 11 games this month.

Mejia is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will get a breather after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Monday's series opener. Christian Bethancourt will take over at catcher and bat eighth against Los Angeles.

Trevino isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Mets.

An 0-for-4 performance in Monday's series opener has Trevino hitting .286 with one double, one walk and no RBI in his last 10 games. Kyle Higashioka will catch Tuesday.

Plawecki will start at catcher and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Plawecki appeared to have fallen into the No. 2 role at catcher by the middle of last week, but he'll now pick up his third consecutive start behind the dish while Reese McGuire remains on the bench. Manager Alex Cora appears to be rewarding Plawecki with more playing time after he concluded the weekend series with the Orioles by going 3-for-6 with a run over the final two games.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

McGuire looks to have moved back into the No. 2 catcher role, as he'll be on the bench for the third straight game while Kevin Plawecki picks up another turn behind the plate. Though he's gotten off to a hot start offensively since being acquired from the White Sox on Aug. 2 -- McGuire is hitting .375 with four runs and three RBI in 11 games -- his track record at the big-league level suggests he's unlikely to be much of a fantasy asset if he eventually supplants Plawecki as the No. 1 option.

Barnhart is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Giants.

Barnhart will take a seat after he went 1-for-8 with a run scored in the final two games of the Angels series. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate and bat fourth in the series opener.

Maldonado's $4.5 million team option for 2023 vested Sunday after he appeared in his 90th game of the season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The $4.5 million price tag is somewhat steep if Maldonado were to move into a backup role in 2023, but the Astros have thus far shown no inclination to reduce the 36-year-old's playing time, even after acquiring fellow catcher Christian Vazquez from Boston earlier this month. With Vazquez headed to free agency this offseason and likely to command a bigger contract than the Astros may be willing to pay, Maldonado could be poised to enter next season atop the depth chart. Though Maldonado owns a lowly .181 batting average and .245 on-base percentage for the season, he's popped 12 home runs and receives high praise for his game calling, pitch framing and ability to control the running game.

Jeffers (thumb) is scheduled to receive additional X-rays Monday and could be cleared to start catching bullpen sessions as soon as Friday, MLB.com reports.

Jeffers has been sidelined since undergoing surgery July 20 to repair an avulsion fracture in the joint of the thumb on his throwing hand. Assuming he's able to catch some side sessions this weekend without incident, Jeffers plans to head to the Twins' spring complex in Florida next week to continue his rehab program. He's hopeful that he'll be ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment in the middle of September before returning from the 10-day injured list before the end of the month, which would allow him to get a few games under his belt prior to a potential playoff run. In the meantime, the Twins are expected to get by with a timeshare of Gary Sanchez and Sandy Leon at catcher.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Stassi was behind the plate for the final two games of the Angels' weekend series in Detroit, but he was on the bench for consecutive games Wednesday and Friday while he works through a prolonged slump at the plate. He didn't take much of a meaningful step forward over the weekend by going 1-for-8, and he's now slashing .088/.139/.088 with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate over his last nine games. Kurt Suzuki will step in at catcher Tuesday and could work his way into a timeshare arrangement with Stassi if the latter's bat fails to heat up anytime soon.

Sanchez will sit Monday versus the Rangers.

Sanchez will take a seat for a second straight game Monday. Sandy Leon will start again behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale.