MLB Player News

Mejia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will sit for the third time in four games while Christian Bethancourt gets another turn behind the dish. The Rays haven't yet indicated that Bethancourt is their preferred option behind the plate, but expect a roughly even timeshare between the two backstops to remain in place for the time being. Mejia hasn't bolstered his case for earning a larger share of the playing time by slashing .254/.302/.339 in 18 games since he returned from the injured list Aug. 5.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and two walks in a 9-4 win against the Padres on Sunday.

Smith ignited a five-run fourth inning with a solo shot to center off San Diego starter Mike Clevinger and added walks in the fifth and seventh, scoring following the latter. He's batted 3-for-8 with two homers, a double and two walks across his last two contests after going hitless during his previous four. Smith is slashing .264/.353/.475 with 21 home runs, 58 runs and a career-high 80 RBI through 114 games.

Jansen is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

Jansen will get a breather in Monday's day game after he went 1-for-7 with a run scored while starting the final two games of the series versus the Pirates. The 27-year-old will be replaced behind the plate by Alejandro Kirk, who will bat fourth in the series opener.

Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in a win over the Orioles on Sunday.

Langeliers' third-inning single plated both Vimael Machin and Stephen Vogt, staking the Athletics to a 3-0 lead at the time. The rookie now has a trio of multi-RBI efforts in his last nine games thanks to a .375 average across eight plate appearances with runners in scoring position during that span.

Raleigh went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 6-3 extra-innings win over the Guardians.

Raleigh didn't start the contest, but he drew into the game in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter. He struck out in that at-bat, but redemption came in the 11th when he added insurance runs with his 22nd homer of the campaign. The catcher is on a remarkable power surge, as four of his last five hits over his last five games have left the yard. He's up to a .208/.281/.484 slash line with 52 RBI, 38 runs scored and a stolen base through 100 contests this year.

Realmuto went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Giants.

Realmuto accounted for the Phillies' lone scoring play Sunday, a game-tying homer in the eighth inning. Over his last 16 games, the catcher has gone 21-for-59 (.356) with two long balls, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored, three steals, a triple and seven doubles. The well-rounded production continues to be a strong suit for the 31-year-old, who is slashing .272/.341/.461 with 15 homers, 70 RBI, 17 steals and 63 runs scored through 463 plate appearances this year.

The Reds released Okey on Aug. 13.

Okey saw action in seven big-league games with the Reds earlier this season, but even with Tyler Stephenson (collarbone) and Aramis Garcia (finger) out with long-term injuries, the organization didn't elect to keep Okey around as catching depth. Before getting released, Okey had been playing at Triple-A Louisville, where he slashed .220/.279/.356 across 129 plate appearances.

Ruiz went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's victory over the Mets.

Ruiz's entered the game mired in a 10-game stretch where he hit .235 with two runs and one RBI. The young catcher broke out of that slump in a big way, accounting for four of the Nationals' seven runs on the day. Sunday's effort is also his first multi-hit game since Aug. 19, and he is now slashing .250/.310/.354 in 421 plate appearances this season.

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

Stassi is 2-for-48 over his past 13 contests and will take a seat Sunday for the second time in the Angels' last three games. Chad Wallach will step in behind the plate and bat eighth.

Maldonado was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Angels with an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado was originally set to work behind the plate, but he'll instead receive a day off since he's under the weather. According to McTaggart, the veteran backstop is expected to rejoin the lineup Monday versus the Rangers. Christian Vazquez will work behind the plate Sunday.