MLB Player News

Bethancourt is not starting Thursday versus the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Francisco Mejia will catch and bat ninth in the opening game of the Rays' four-game series in the Bronx. Bethancourt caught the final two games of Tampa Bay's three-game set in Baltimore.

Grandal is being evaluated for right hamstring tightness after leaving Thursday's game against the Royals, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Grandal was pulled from the contest after running out a single in the top of the fourth inning. Beyond the hamstring issue, he also appeared to be stretching out his lower back following a double in the top of the second. Seby Zavala replaced him at catcher for the White Sox.

Grandal was lifted from Thursday's game versus the Royals with an apparent injury, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After doubling in his first plate appearance, Grandal singled in the fourth inning but was then removed for a pinch runner. He was seen wincing after the first at-bat and has had a back issue in recent days, so it's possible it flared up on him Thursday. Seby Zavala took over behind the plate for Chicago.

Rortvedt (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Rortvedt was placed on the 10-day injured list in late March after he underwent left shoulder surgery in February, and he has been working his way back since. The catcher has yet to appear in a game for the Yankees after being acquired via trade from Minnesota in March of 2022. The 25-year-old will stick with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he went 3-for-17 with a double, an RBI and a run scored over five rehab contests.

Vazquez will take a seat Thursday versus the Padres.

Vazquez will get a breather after he went 0-for-8 with a walk and three strikeouts while starting the last three games behind the plate. Ryan Jeffers will take over at catcher and bat ninth in the series finale.

Perez is absent from the Royals' lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.

Perez has a 1.190 OPS through nine contests in May will get some rest for the day game after a Wednesday night game. Freddy Fermin will catch Brady Singer in the series finale against Chicago.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.

Perez got Oakland on the board in the second inning with a solo shot off Jhony Brito. It's the second homer of the year for Perez, his first since April 12. The 32-year-old catcher has hit safely in four straight contests, though the home run was his first extra-base hit in eight games. He is now slashing .327/.390/.481 with six RBI and six runs scored through 59 plate appearances. While Perez's numbers are impressive in a vacuum, he doesn't have much fantasy value while backing up Shea Langeliers.

Alvarez is starting at catcher and batting ninth Thursday for the Mets' game against the Reds, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

It's a day game after a night game and marks Alvarez's fifth start in a row. The young catcher is hitting .286/.348/.548 with three homers in his last 15 contests.

Adams went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 11-6 victory over the Giants.

Adams last played May 4 versus the Cubs and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but he drew the start Wednesday with Keibert Ruiz getting the night off. Adams made the most of his opportunity by extending the Nationals' lead to 4-0 with a three-run home run in the second inning, but he was retired in each of his final three at-bats. Ruiz should continue to see the majority of the starts behind the plate, but Adams' first long ball could help him draw a few more chances moving forward.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the Dodgers.

He was the only Milwaukee batter to solve Clayton Kershaw on the afternoon, connecting for his third homer of the year in the fourth inning before the game got out of hand. Contreras has hit a bit of a lull at the plate, batting .216 (8-for-37) over his last 10 games, but five of those hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles and two home runs.)