MLB Player News

Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Bethancourt looks like he'll be option 1A behind the plate for the Rays after Francisco Mejia (shoulder) recently joined Mike Zunino (shoulder) on the injured list, but Bethancourt could still be part of a timeshare at catcher with Rene Pinto, who will get the nod behind the plate in Thursday's series finale. Since being acquired from the Athletics on July 9, Bethancourt has gone 4-for-21 with a home run and a walk through his first seven games with the Rays.

Sanchez went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Brewers.

He caught Milwaukee napping in the second inning to steal his second bag of the season, and only the sixth of his career. Sanchez then got lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning with the game seemingly out of reach. The 29-year-old has had a rough July at the plate, slashing .171/.261/.268 through 14 games with one homer and six RBI, but he'll remain Minnesota's primary catcher with Ryan Jeffers (thumb) sidelined until September, barring a significant addition by the Twins at the trade deadline.

Trevino isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.

Trevino started the last two games and went 5-for-8 with a double, a run and an RBI. Kyle Higashioka will take over behind the dish and bat ninth Wednesday.

Zavala will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Zavala is making his third start in six contests since the All-Star break. With Yasmani Grandal coming off the injured list following the break and Reese McGuire still on hand as a depth option behind the plate, Zavala's opportunities are only likely to become more scarce in the final two months of the season.

Raleigh isn't starting Wednesday against the Rangers.

Raleigh is getting a day off after he went 4-for-8 with a homer, a double, three RBI, two runs and three strikeouts over the last two games. Luis Torrens will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Maldonado is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Athletics.

Maldonado will get a breather after he went 1-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's loss. Korey Lee will get the start at catcher and bat ninth against Oakland.

Murphy isn't starting Wednesday against Houston.

Murphy started the first seven games following the All-Star break and slashed .286/.483/.667 with two homers, two doubles, six runs and four RBI. Stephen Vogt is taking over behind the plate and batting sixth.

Stassi isn't starting Wednesday against Kansas City, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi started the last three games and went 4-for-13 with a homer, a triple, a double, four RBI, two runs and a strikeout. Kurt Suzuki is starting behind the plate and batting fifth Wednesday.

Bethancourt went 1-for-4 on Tuesday against the Orioles.

Bethancourt has been unremarkable since joining the Rays on July 12, collecting only three hits in 17 at-bats. He's been in a near-even split for playing time behind the plate, but Bethancourt will likely see more consistent plate appearances with Francisco Mejia (shoulder) landing on the injured list. Rene Pinto was recalled to serve as the backup catcher.

Vazquez started at first base, batted fifth, and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to Cleveland.

This was Vazquez's fourth start of the season at first base and third in the last 14 games, as Red Sox manager Alex Cora seeks to buttress the black hole that has been first base in 2022. The catcher is enjoying a bounce-back season, hitting .277 with eight home runs, 18 doubles and a .756 OPS over 77 games. He told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that he got carried away after bashing 23 home runs in 2019, trying to replicate that production, which led to a lot of flyball outs and a .659 OPS in 2021. At the urging of coaches, he's returned to an approach that stresses line drives. That can be seen in his batted-ball profile, which indicates an increased line-drive rate from 22.4 percent to 26.8 percent and a decreased flyball rate from 28 percent to 21.9 percent.