MLB Player News

Rogers will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Rogers will step in behind the dish for the fourth time in six games and may have supplanted Eric Haase as the Tigers' preferred option at catcher. In addition to holding a nearly 100-point advantage over Haase in OPS this season (.713 to .621), Rogers is regarded as the superior defender of the two.

Heineman was traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for Vinny Capra.

Heineman was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and Toronto opted to trade for him rather than risk a waiver claim. He should head to Triple-A Buffalo to serve as organizational catching depth.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Cubs, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes is behind the dish for the sixth time in nine games and appears to have overtaken the struggling Jacob Stallings as the Marlins' preferred option at catcher. Though he's taken a major step back from last season in the early stages of 2023 with a .188/.250/.250 slash line over 52 plate appearances, Fortes' .500 OPS is still notably better than Stallings' .429 mark.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Now on the bench for the fourth time in six games and the sixth time in the past nine contests, Stallings appears to have slipped to No. 2 on the depth chart at catcher behind Nick Fortes. Though he continues to grade out adequately on the defensive end, Stallings has become an even greater liability with the bat, as he enters Sunday's contest with a lowly .136/.224/.205 slash line and career-worst 28.6 percent strikeout rate over 49 plate appearances.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Barnhart had drawn starts behind the dish on the last two occasions the Cubs opposed right-handed starting pitchers, but he'll take a seat Sunday against Marlins righty Bryan Hoeing, perhaps because the two teams are facing a quick turnaround for the series finale, which starts at 12:05 p.m. ET. Yan Gomes will catch for starting pitcher Justin Steele on Sunday.

Haase is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Haase went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Saturday's 6-4 loss, dropping his season-long batting average to .254. While his batting average is palatable, Haase isn't providing much power, as he has no home runs and just three extra-base hits (all doubles) through 69 plate appearances. Since he's a bat-first player who isn't providing much of an impact with the stick, Haase looks to be falling out of favor and may have been supplanted by Jake Rogers as the team's No. 1 catcher. Rogers will pick up his fourth start behind the plate in six games Sunday.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during a 7-4 loss to the Tigers in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

The veteran catcher took Eduardo Rodriguez deep in the second inning, but the O's were already in a 3-0 hole at that point. McCann's playing time has picked up lately, as he's begun to see some at-bats at DH in addition to giving Adley Rutschman occasional breathers behind the plate, and while he's still batting only .194 (6-for-31) on the season after Saturday's twin bill, three of his six hits -- a double and two homers -- have gone for extra bases.

Sabol went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additonal run scored in Saturday's 16-11 loss to San Diego.

Sabol tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-run shot. The 25-year-old has made a solid case for playing time behind the plate even when Joey Bart (groin) returns to the lineup, and he's 5-for-15 across his past four contests. Sabol has a .775 OPS with five home runs, 10 RBI and two steals in 20 games.

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-3 victory over the White Sox.

Mejia missed out on the fun in the Rays' 10-run seventh inning, but he still hit a solo shot in the eighth inning. It was Mejia's first hit since April 18, ending an 0-for-12 stretch. The catcher is slashing .200/.260/.311 while sharing duties behind the plate with Christian Bethancourt.

Rodriguez (forearm) was activated from the minor-league injured list with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The 22-year-old switch hitter had a .263/.333/.456 slash line with three home runs and an 8:6 K:BB in 14 games before suffering a forearm strain. In addition to 12 starts behind the dish, Rodriguez made one start at first base and one start at designated hitter. He could get a call-up sometime in the coming weeks if he performs well.