MLB Player News

Crooks will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Angels.

The young backstop had been slated to sit for the second day in a row, but he'll end up receiving a turn behind the plate in the series finale after Pedro Pages (illness) was scratched just minutes before first pitch. Crooks is hitting .176 with three home runs, nine RBI and four runs in 28 games since St. Louis called him up from Triple-A Memphis on May 29.

Marchan will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

He'll draw his first start since July 10 while top backstop J.T. Realmuto receives a rare day off in the series finale. Marchan is valued for his defense but has been an easy out at the plate this season, posting a lowly .322 OPS across 89 plate appearances.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

The Phillies are off Thursday, so Realmuto will take a seat Wednesday and effectively get two days of rest before likely returning to the starting nine in Friday's series opener versus the Yankees. Realmuto has put together a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's driven in five runs and scored four times.

Sullivan will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

The Rockies are giving All-Star Hunter Goodman a day off from catching but keeping his bat in the lineup at designated hitter, so Sullivan will get a turn behind the dish in the series finale. Sullivan has started in just two of the Rockies' last six contests, and his playing time will likely remain scarce so long as Goodman is healthy and the team continues to carry three catchers (Sullivan, Goodman and Braxton Fulford) on the roster.

Crooks is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Crooks has delivered late-game solo home runs off the bench in two of his last five contests, but the power surge doesn't seem to have earned him a major uptick in playing time. After sitting out against Angels righty Walbert Urena in Tuesday's 5-1 loss, the left-handed-hitting Crooks will remain on the bench for the finale while the Halos send southpaw Reid Detmers to the bump.

Susac is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Susac will take a seat for the matinee game after he went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base while catching 8.1 innings of Tuesday's 4-3 loss. Drew Cavanaugh will receive a turn behind the plate in the series finale.

Mack went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

The rookie catcher made things interesting by taking AJ Blubaugh deep in the seventh inning with the Marlins down 5-1, but they couldn't creep any closer. Mack has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him nine homers on the year, but he hasn't produced a multi-hit effort since July 4 and is batting just .179 (5-for-28) over his last 11 contests with a 3.2 percent walk rate against a 35.5 percent strikeout rate.

Goodman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a double Tuesday in an 8-7 victory versus Washington.

Goodman snapped a 7-7 tie with a solo blast in the eighth inning, producing what ended up being the winning run. The All-Star catcher has five hits in 16 at-bats since the midseason break, with all five knocks (four homers and a double) going for extra bases. Goodman's homer Tuesday was his 31st of the season in his 94th game, tying the career-high mark he established over 144 contests last year.

Alvarez isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

Alvarez will move to the bench to begin Tuesday's contest after going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the series opener Monday. Luis Torrens will handle catching duties and bat ninth.

The Dodgers transferred Smith (neck) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Smith isn't expected to return to the Dodgers' lineup until at least mid-August, so his move to the 60-day IL won't have any impact on his return timeline. The move will, however, free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Charlie Barnes, who was selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.