MLB Player News

Stassi is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After a recent string of three consecutive starts behind the dish, Stassi will sit for the second straight game while Matt Thaiss handles catching duties. Stassi still looks to be Option 1A for the Angels, but his major downturn in performance in 2022 could result in Thaiss becoming part of a timeshare at the position. After posting a .752 OPS last season, the 31-year-old Stassi is slashing .179/.267/.297 over his 352 plate appearances in 2022.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

Though the Mariners haven't indicated as much, Raleigh is believed to still be nursing the jammed left thumb that kept him out of the lineup for Friday's 8-7 win over the Angels, according to Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM. Raleigh returned to action Saturday, but he'll now be on the bench Monday for a second consecutive game. Curt Casali gets another turn behind the dish while Raleigh sits out.

Sanchez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.

Sanchez closed out the weekend by making two straight starts behind the dish, so he'll sit Monday while the Twins' series in Cleveland concludes with a day game. Sandy Leon will serve as the Twins' starting catcher Monday.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cleveland is wrapping up its five-game wraparound series with the Twins with a day game Monday, so Hedges will get a breather after he caught eight innings of Sunday's 3-0 loss. Luke Maile checks in behind the dish, forming a battery with starting pitcher Cal Quantrill.

Maldonado went 4-for-4 with a home run, four runs and four RBI during Sunday's 11-2 win over the Athletics.

Maldonado was out of the lineup for three of the four games leading up to Sunday's matchup, but he helped drive the Astros' offense to the blowout win in the series finale against Oakland. In spite of Sunday's encouraging performance, the 36-year-old has been relatively quiet since the start of September, hitting .233 with a home run, six RBI, five runs, a walk and seven strikeouts over 10 games.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 13-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Perez has enjoyed a fruitful September with three homers, eight RBI and five multi-hit efforts in 15 contests. The catcher went yard off Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta in the fifth inning for the Royals' last run in Sunday's blowout loss. Perez has 22 homers, 71 RBI, 43 runs scored, 18 doubles and a triple while slashing .249/.285/.464 through 103 contests. He reached the 100-hit mark for the eighth time in nine years, with the lone exception being the shortened 2020 campaign.

Gomes went 3-for-4 with a home run and three total RBI in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.

Gomes accounted for half of the Cubs' six hits. Two of those gave them their only scoring plays in the game -- a two-run single in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth, both off Rockies starter Ryan Feltner. Gomes continues to see most of the starts at catcher with Willson Contreras (ankle) out, with P.J. Higgins holding down a backup role. This was Gomes' third multi-hit effort in September, a month in which he's hit .378 (14-for-37) with two long balls and eight RBI. He's up to a .242/.270/.375 slash line with eight homers, 28 RBI, 22 runs scored and two stolen bases through 78 contests overall.

Kirk (hip) is expected to return Tuesday against the Phillies, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kirk was excluded from the lineup for a fifth consecutive game Sunday against the Orioles, but he was available off the bench if needed. The 23-year-old should be able to return to the lineup following Monday's scheduled day off.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith will take a seat for the series finale after a stretch of eight consecutive starts during which he went 7-for-32 (.219 average) with three extra-base hits and four walks. Austin Barnes will replace Smith behind the plate.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stassi will take a seat after he caught each of the Halos' last three games while going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in those contests. Matt Thaiss will spell Stassi behind the plate Sunday.