MLB Player News

Raleigh is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Tigers.

Raleigh was hit by a pitch in the midsection during Wednesday's win over the Tigers, though he stayed in and finished the contest. He's likely sore, but his absence from Thursday's lineup could simply be due to it being an afternoon game after he started the last eight tilts. Jhonny Pereda will fill in at catcher in the series finale while Raleigh rests.

Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Angels.

Narvaez started behind the dish in the first two games of the series, so he will get a breather during Thursday's afternoon tilt. Yohel Pozo is doing the catching and batting ninth for the Orioles.

D'Arnaud is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore.

D'Arnaud started at catcher the previous two days, so he'll grab a seat during Thursday's matinee. Moises Ballesteros -- who slotted in at designated hitter in his first two starts for the Angels -- will do the catching Thursday.

Dingler went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Mariners.

That's three homers and seven RBI over Dingler's last five games. The catcher has four multi-hit efforts in that span and accounted for half of the Tigers' knocks in Wednesday's loss. His breakout season continues, as he's now up to 25 homers, 75 RBI, 61 runs scored, 22 doubles and two triples while batting .275 with an .868 OPS through 105 contests.

Bart is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Bart will hit the bench after he started behind the plate and went 0-for-3 with a walk in his White Sox debut during Tuesday's 14-2 loss. Drew Romo will receive the nod at catcher Wednesday, but Bart could end up seeing the bulk of the reps until the White Sox get Kyle Teel (ankle) back from the injured list.

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston.

Despite recording at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 games, Kirk will sit out Wednesday's series finale. Brandon Valenzuela will be behind the plate and bat fifth for Toronto.

Dingler went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 8-0 win over the Mariners.

This was Dingler's fourth multi-hit effort in his last eight games, a span in which he has gone 11-for-40 (.275) with two homers and seven RBI. That's right in line with the catcher's season-long production -- he's hitting .272 with an .855 OPS through 104 contests. Dingler has added 24 homers, 73 RBI, 60 runs scored, 22 doubles and two triples to cement his place as one of the top offensive catchers in the league this year.

The Rays optioned Piper to Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, though he'll remain with the big-league club through Wednesday's series finale in Colorado as a member of the taxi squad.

The 28-year-old was promoted Monday to provide catching depth in the wake of Hunter Feduccia's departure at the trade deadline, but trade-acquisition Liam Hicks has quickly joined the active roster. Piper started Monday's contest and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in his major-league debut. He should return to Montgomery later this week, as long as Hicks and backup Nick Fortes stay healthy.

Manager Craig Albernaz said Tuesday that Basallo (shoulder) is close to participating in both his catching and hitting progressions and could be cleared for a rehab assignment within the next two weeks, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old was shut down in late July after receiving an injection to help his right shoulder inflammation, and he appears close to being cleared for most baseball activities. Given that he'll require a rehab assignment and still has at least a few steps before getting to that point, Basallo is tracking toward a return from the injured list in the second half of August.

The Mariners recalled Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The Mariners have released Mitch Garver and will carry Pereda as their backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. Pereda has slashed .270/.324/.365 with two homers in 63 plate appearances with Seattle this season.