MLB Player News

Kirk (hip) isn't starting Friday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kirk has been dealing with left hip tightness recently and will be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. He remains day-to-day for now. Teoscar Hernandez will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup, with Danny Jansen behind the plate and batting eighth.

McCann will sit Friday against the Pirates.

McCann remains atop the Mets' depth chart at catcher, but he and Friday's starter Tomas Nido have generally alternated turns behind the plate in recent weeks. McCann's .549 OPS on the season gives him minimal fantasy value even if he found himself in the lineup more consistently.

Hedges isn't in the lineup Friday against Minnesota.

Hedges is getting a breather after he went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts over the last two games. Luke Maile will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Wong isn't starting Friday against the Royals, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Wong saw a slight uptick in playing time in early September, but he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in the last five games. Kevin Plawecki is starting behind the plate and batting ninth.

Rodriguez has slashed .357/.438/.696 with eight home runs, 14 doubles and 32 RBI through 29 games since his promotion to Double-A Altoona.

After crushing the ball to the tune of a .936 OPS in High-A, Rodriguez is sitting on a 1.134 mark at the higher level -- and, just as impressively, he's actually clipped his strikeout rate and raised his walk rate since the promotion. As a switch-hitting catcher who's flashing high-end contact ability and power as well as strong defensive ability, he's quickly grown into a must-roster prospect in dynasty formats. It's also possible the Pirates will move him off catcher, as he's seen significant time at second base and in left field and looked good at both positions. His bat will play anywhere.

Contreras (ankle) recently began doing light agility work in his running progression, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Contreras has been on the injured list with a left ankle sprain since Sept. 6 and will spend more than the minimum of 10 days on the shelf. While the catcher seems to be trending in the right direction, manager David Ross said Friday that Contreras is still progressing relatively slowly and is likely about a week away from returning, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Diaz isn't in the lineup Friday against the Cubs.

Diaz has gone 7-for-16 with two home runs, a double, eight RBI and four runs over his last four games but will head to the bench for the third time in the last four matchups. Brian Serven is starting behind the plate and batting ninth.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a run in a loss to the Astros on Thursday.

If it seems like all Murphy does is pile up extra-base knocks, it's because that qualifies as only a modest embellishment. The slugging backstop has been putting the screws to the ball all season, with Thursday's production pushing him up to 53 total extra-base hits -- 33 doubles, two triples and 18 home runs. Murphy also has a trio of multi-hit efforts in the last six games, a stretch during which he carries a .292 batting average and .870 OPS across 27 plate appearances.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Thursday against the Athletics.

Vazquez entered Thursday's start hitless across his last 22 at-bats. However, he snapped out of the slump with an RBI double in the fourth inning, knotting the game at 2-2. Vazquez has been disappointing since joining the Astros at the trade deadline, hitting just .233 with six RBI and five runs scored across 73 at-bats.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Twins on Thursday.

Perez brought Kansas City within a run with his solo shot off Dylan Bundy in the fourth inning, but that ended up being the final run of the contest. The long ball was his 21st of the season, tied for third-most among MLB catchers. While he remains one of the league's most powerful backstops, Perez won't approach the 48 long balls he slammed last season.