MLB Player News

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

After making three consecutive starts behind the plate, Plawecki now finds himself on the bench for the second straight contest. The Red Sox's catching situation remains a difficult one to predict from game-to-game, as Plawecki and Reese McGuire appear to be stuck in a true timeshare.

McCann will sit Thursday versus the Rockies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McCann will be on the bench for the second straight game Thursday. Tomas Nido will draw another start behind the plate and bat ninth against Colorado.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Mets.

Diaz will remain on the bench for the second straight game as the Rockies take on Jacob deGrom and the Mets on Thursday. Brian Serven will take over behind the plate and bat eighth versus New York.

Realmuto will sit Thursday against the Reds.

Realmuto will get a day off after he went 6-for-12 with four extra-base hits, a homer, four RBI and three runs scored, in the first three games of the series. Garrett Stubbs is starting at catcher and will bat sixth in the series finale.

Contreras (ankle) is out of the starting lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.

Contreras will miss a fourth consecutive game due to a left ankle sprain, but the Cubs don't view it as a major concern, as manager David Ross said he expects the 30-year-old backstop to be back in the starting nine Friday against the Brewers, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. P.J. Higgins will remain in the lineup at catcher and bat sixth Thursday.

Thaiss was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Thaiss will return to the big leagues after being sent down July 2. The 27-year-old has only registered two at-bats with the Angels this season, but he's produced a .269 average with 10 homers, 48 RBI, 46 runs and seven stolen bases over 77 games with Salt Lake. Thaiss will provide depth at either corner-infield spot and give the Angels a third catcher option behind Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a homer, two walks, three RBI and two runs in his most recent game for Triple-A Syracuse, but he's still hitting just .179/.340/.375 in 32 games since his promotion.

The 20-year-old backstop has seen his power stroke show up only in fits and starts at the highest level of the minors, as Tuesday's long ball snapped a stretch of 11 straight games without any extra-base hits. That said, while his overall stat line with Syracuse is ugly, there are some positives to be found in it. Alvarez has a .209 BABIP in Triple-A that's bound for positive regression, and while his strikeout rate has climbed to an uncomfortable 28.4 percent (from 24 percent in Double-A this year), his walk rate has also spiked to 17.6 percent (from 12.5). It's also worth remembering that Alvarez is exceptionally young for a catching prospect on the doorstep of the major leagues -- for one illustrative example, when Orioles stud rookie backstop Adley Rutschman was Alvarez's age, he was still playing college ball.

Stassi is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Rays, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Stassi will get a breather after he went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts while starting the last two contests. Kurt Suzuki will replace him behind the plate and bat seventh in the series finale.

Mejia will sit Thursday versus the Angels, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Mejia will take a seat after he went 0-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout in Wednesday's win. The red-hot Christian Bethancourt will replace him behind the plate and bat sixth in the series finale.

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a double and a solo homer in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Reds.

Realmuto led off the third inning with a home run off righty starter T.J. Zeuch to give Philadelphia a 3-1 lead. The catcher has been electric lately with a .438 average and 1.236 OPS in 32 at-bats across his last eight games. The 31-year-old has recorded a double in five contests during that span and has gone three straight games without a strikeout.