MLB Player News
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Yohel Pozo C | STL
Cardinals' Yohel Pozo: Taking hold of top catcher job
Pozo will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Padres.
Pozo appears to have moved ahead of the slumping Pedro Pages on the depth chart at catcher -- he'll be making his fourth start behind the dish in six games Sunday. Though Pages is regarded as the superior defender, the upgrade Pozo provides with the bat appears to be too much for manager Oliver Marmol to ignore. Pozo heads into Sunday's contest with a .746 OPS over 121 plate appearances, compared to Pages' .566 OPS across 278 plate appearances.
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James McCann C | ARI
Diamondbacks' James McCann: Back on bench Sunday
McCann is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
McCann will be on the bench for the third time in four games while the Diamondbacks continue to use a three-man committee at catcher that also includes Jose Herrera and Adrian Del Castillo. Herrera will get the nod behind the dish Sunday, catching for starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.
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Logan O'Hoppe C | LAA
Angels' Logan O'Hoppe: Resting up Sunday
O'Hoppe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
O'Hoppe will receive a breather after he started behind the plate in each of the past three contests while going 1-for-9 with two walks and one run. Travis d'Arnaud will handle the catching duties Sunday.
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Braxton Fulford C | COL
Rockies' Braxton Fulford: Summoned from Triple-A
The Rockies recalled Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.
Fulford will be up with the Rockies for the fourth time this season after slashing .250/.262/.425 with one home run, one stolen base, 11 RBI and four runs over 42 plate appearances across his previous three stints in the big leagues. With Hunter Goodman and Austin Nola both healthy, Fulford will serve as the Rockies' No. 3 catcher and will likely be in line for limited playing time.
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Tyler Heineman C | TOR
Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: On bench in Kirk's return
Heineman (head) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Heineman started behind the plate in the first two games of the series with Kansas City but exited Saturday's 4-2 win after being diagnosed with a head contusion when he took a foul tip off his mask. Per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, manager John Schneider said that Heineman hasn't developed any concussion symptoms, but he's still viewed as day-to-day. In any case, Heineman's brief run as Toronto's No. 1 catcher is over, as the Blue Jays activated Alejandro Kirk (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Sunday.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Comes off 7-day IL
The Blue Jays reinstated Kirk (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at catcher and bat sixth against the Royals.
The backstop had a minimum-length stay on the shelf after being struck on the facemask by a foul tip last weekend. The 26-year-old Kirk will step back in as Toronto's No. 1 backstop after slashing .304/.361/.413 with seven home runs, 47 RBI and 27 runs over 88 games prior to landing on the IL.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Receiving breather Sunday
Adams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams will get a chance to catch his breath after he started five of the previous six games. Drew Millas will handle catching duties Sunday, forming a battery with starting pitcher Brad Lord.
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Victor Caratini C | MIN
Astros' Victor Caratini: Playing time trending down
Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
Despite bringing his batting average up to .267 with a 4-for-5 performance in Saturday's 7-3 loss, Caratini will head to the bench for the series finale. With Houston acquiring Carlos Correa and Jesus Sanchez at the trade deadline and getting Jeremy Pena back from the injured list Friday, Caratini's playing time may become more inconsistent.
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Carlos Narvaez C | BOS
Red Sox's Carlos Narvaez: Sitting Sunday, likely Monday, too
Narvaez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
Narvaez will get a breather after he caught all nine innings of Saturday's 7-3 win over the Astros. Connor Wong will get the nod behind the plate Sunday, and manager Alex Cora said he planned on having the 29-year-old catch again Monday against the Royals in an effort to keep him sharp, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Despite the impending time off, Narvaez should still viewed as Boston's No. 1 catcher.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Homer, three RBI in win
Higashioka went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three total RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings win over the Mariners.
Higashioka opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the 10th with an RBI single. In 17 games since July 4, the veteran backstop has posted a remarkable 1.142 OPS with nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. For the year, he's slashing .269/.316/.431 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, 22 runs scored and three steals across 212 plate appearances.