MLB Player News

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Tuesday's loss to the Royals.

Higashioka took Brady Singer deep in the second inning, his first long ball since May 8. The 31-year-old backup catcher now has six long balls on the season while batting .191/.273/.438 across 34 games.

Rogers went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, three RBI and a run in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

Rogers was productive from the No. 9 spot in the batting order, and it looks like he's taking over as the primary catcher in Detroit, as this was his third start in a row. Eric Haase remains in the picture, but Rogers is considered the better defensive player and is also two years younger, so the Tigers may be inclined to keep rolling him out there.

Grandal went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run Tuesday against the Pirates.

Grandal was not in the starting lineup -- Zack Collins got the start behind the plate -- but entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter. He delivered on the opportunity, slugging his 11th home run of the season to temporarily give the White Sox the lead. Overall, Grandal has a 128 wRC+ across 211 plate appearances and has also chipped in 27 RBI and 34 runs scored.

Sanchez will sit Tuesday against the Royals.

Sanchez has swung a very hot bat over his last 20 games, hitting .344/.408/.719 with six homers. He'll sit Tuesday nonetheless, with Kyle Higashioka catching Gerrit Cole as usual.

Plawecki was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

It was reported earlier Tuesday that the backstop was destined for the injured list, and now the transaction has been made official. The move is retroactive to Monday, so Plawecki will become eligible to be reinstated July 1, though he may very well need additional time to recover. Connor Wong was recalled from Triple-A Worcester and is expected to step in as Christian Vazquez's backup for the time being.

Grandal is not starting Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

The switch hitter went 5-for-17 in his last five games and, somewhat uncharacteristically, drew only two walks in that span. Zack Collins will fill in at catcher Tuesday.

Rogers will start at catcher and bat ninth Tuesday against the Cardinals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

With Eric Haase stuck in 5-for-36 slump at the dish over his last 10 games, Rogers -- the superior defender of the two -- appears to have taken over as the Tigers' preferred backstop. Rogers will stick in the lineup for the third game in a row, and he'll draw the start over Haase for the second straight contest against a right-handed starting pitcher (Johan Oviedo). While Rogers appears to have drawn positive reviews for his receiving and game-calling skills, he's struggled with the bat, as expected. Through 11 games in June, Rogers is hitting .206 while striking out 47.4 percent of the time.

Haase is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

On the bench for the second game in a row while the Tigers are opposing a right-handed pitcher, Haase may have lost hold of the No. 1 catcher job to Jake Rogers. Haase still has a path to playing time in left field on days that he doesn't catch, but the Tigers may not be compelled to give him steady at-bats while he's stuck in a slump at the plate. Over his last 10 games, Haase has gone 5-for-36 with a 2:13 BB:K and two extra-base hits (both doubles).

Wong has joined the Red Sox in Tampa and will be activated ahead of Tuesday's game against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republicane reports.

Wong will serve as Christian Vazquez's backup for the near future while Kevin Plawecki (hamstring) heads to the injured list. The 25-year-old Wong has yet to make his big-league debut and has struggled to a .148/.188/.246 line in 16 games for Triple-A Worcester this season.

The Red Sox are expected to place Plawecki (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday's game in Tampa Bay, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Boston evidently determined that the left hamstring injury Plawecki sustained in Sunday's game against the Royals was more than a day-to-day concern, so he'll be shut down for at least a week and a half while he heals up. Connor Wong will be promoted from Triple-A Worcester to take Plawecki's spot on the active roster and serve as the No. 2 catcher behind top backstop Christian Vazquez.