MLB Player News

Jansen (oblique) took part in live batting practice session Monday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Jansen relayed that he "felt great" after the hitting session, which was highlighted by an opposite-field home run. The 27-year-old is expected to continue his hitting progression while partaking in additional baseball activities over the next few days, and a minor-league rehab assignment could soon follow. Jansen has been on the shelf since April 11 with a left oblique strain.

Higashioka isn't starting Monday against Toronto.

Higashioka went 0-for-2 in Sunday's win over the Royals, and he'll retreat to the bench for the second time in the last three games. Jose Trevino will start at catcher and bat ninth.

Bethancourt entered Sunday's loss to the Guardians as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and laced an RBI double, subsequently scoring a run.

The reserve backstop put the first run of the game on the board for the Athletics with his timely two-bagger in the final frame that plated Sean Murphy. Bethancourt hasn't logged a start since Wednesday, and he's expected to head back to the minors once veteran Stephen Vogt (knee) returns from the injured list.

Collins sits for the third straight game Monday against the Yankees.

Collins appeared to be moving into a regular role in the latter half of April, starting 10 out of 14 games from April 15 through April 29. Since then, he's been on the bench for three straight contests. While he's homered three times in 12 games, he's also striking out at a 41.3 percent clip, so it's no surprise the Blue Jays are looking to other options. Tyler Heineman will be the catcher Monday while Alejandro Kirk serves as the designated hitter.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Baltimore.

Trevor Larnach will handle designated-hitter duties while Ryan Jeffers picks up a start behind the plate, closing off both of Sanchez's avenues to the lineup. The Twins are likely just extending Sanchez a breather after he recently returned from an abdominal injury to start in each of the past three games. He went 2-for-13 with a double, an RBI, a run and six strikeouts over the weekend.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels are wrapping up their four-game set in Chicago with a day game, so Stassi will take a seat while No. 2 backstop Kurt Suzuki makes his second start in three days. With a single in Sunday's 6-5 win, Stassi extended his hit streak to four games and is now sitting on a .229 batting average for the season.

Huff was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff served as depth behind the plate while Jonah Heim was on the paternity list, but he'll head back to the minors since the Rangers need to trim their active roster to 26 players by Monday. Heim will operate as the team's No. 2 catcher after he was activated Sunday.

Gallagher was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list after Sunday's loss to the Yankees, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Gallagher went 1-for-1 prior to tweaking his hamstring Sunday, and he'll now be sidelined for the foreseeable future. MJ Melendez was called up from Triple-A Omaha to serve as the backup catcher to Salvador Perez.

Rutschman's (triceps) rehab assignment will advance to Double-A Bowie this week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman recently appeared in four games at High-A Aberdeen, and he went 6-for-13 with three doubles, two runs and two walks. His stint in Bowie will likely be the final step in his rehab process, as the 24-year-old will likely report to Triple-A Norfolk once he's fully healthy before presumably making his major-league debut at some point this season.

Manager Kevin Cash said Mejia (illness) will play in rehab games at the Rays' spring facility in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Monday and Tuesday before being re-evaluated, Joey Johnston of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia rejoined the Rays on Sunday after completing his quarantine and clearing all protocols related to COVID-19, but he'll need at least a couple of days to get his conditioning in order following his initial positive test for the virus April 22. Assuming Mejia checks out fine following his two games in Port Charlotte, he could be formally activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Oakland.