MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-5 with two runs in a 7-3 win against the Cardinals on Friday.

Smith batted third as the Dodgers' designated hitter in his return from the injured list. He missed over two weeks while dealing with a concussion but didn't appear hampered at the plate Friday, putting the ball in play in each of his five plate appearances and reaching on an infield single in the fifth frame. Per Eric Stephen of SBNation.com, manager Dave Roberts suggested that Smith could DH again Saturday before potentially returning to backstop duties Sunday.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Saturday against the Royals.

Ryan Jeffers will catch and bat eighth in the afternoon tilt versus the Royals and right-hander Brad Keller. Vazquez should get the start behind the plate for the Twins in Sunday's series finale.

Ruiz is not in the lineup for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

Riley Adams will catch and bat eighth versus the Pirates and left-hander Rich Hill. Ruiz should be back in there for the later game against right-hander Vince Velasquez.

Rortvedt (shoulder) had his minor-league rehab assignment transferred from Single-A Tampa to Double-A Somerset on Friday.

Rortvedt played in three games for Tampa, going 3-for-11 with two doubles and two runs. The catcher came over to New York from Minnesota in a trade last March, but he's yet to make his Yankees debut. That's mostly due to injury -- Rortvedt dealt with separate knee and oblique issues that cost him most of last season, and he underwent surgery to address an aneurysm near his left shoulder in February of this year.

Rutschman is not in the lineup for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Tigers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's the first time Rutschman has been absent from the O's starting lineup this season, though he will probably be in there for the later tilt in Detroit. James McCann is catching and batting sixth in the early game. Anthony Santander is serving as the designated hitter and hitting cleanup.

Kirk went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

The catcher became the first player this season to take Luis Castillo deep when he launched his second homer of the year in the second inning. Kirk has appeared in 20 of Toronto's 26 games so far while splitting his time between DH and catcher, posting a .263/.419/.386 slash line with seven runs and 10 RBI.

Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

The catcher took Alek Manoah deep for a solo shot in the second inning before adding an RBI single in the third. Raleigh hasn't quite found his power stroke yet in 2023, producing a .205 ISO through 87 plate appearances after posting a .278 mark last season, but he's maintained a decent fantasy floor by batting .231 with three homers, 11 runs and 14 RBI in 22 games.

Perez went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's loss to Minnesota.

Perez opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first inning before knocking a 416-foot solo shot in the sixth. He later added an RBI base hit in the seventh. He's produced three straight multi-hit games, bumping his season slash line to .266/.307/.436 with 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBI through 101 plate appearances. Perez was back in the lineup Friday after missing the previous two games due to a back issue.

Smith (concussion) will be activated off the 7-day concussion list Friday and be in the lineup as the designated hitter against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith hasn't played since April 12 while dealing with a concussion, but the All-Star backstop is ready to roll for the series against the Cardinals. He should return to catching duties for the Dodgers within the next few days.

Bart (groin) ran on the field in Mexico on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants have a rare Friday off with the team playing a two-game series in Mexico starting Saturday against the Padres, but it's a positive sign that Bart was able to participate in some pregame activities. The backstop has been out of action with tightness in his right groin strain, and he has a chance to return to the lineup against San Diego over the weekend.