MLB Player News

Caratini went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the Pirates.

Caratini saw himself elevated to the No. 1 catcher recently after Pedro Severino was designated for assignment and Omar Narvaez (quadriceps) was placed on the 10-day IL. The switch hitter wasted no time taking advantage of the increased role by cracking his eighth home run of the season, this one off Pirates starter Zach Thompson.

Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old was promoted in late July when Francisco Mejia (shoulder) landed on the 10-day IL, and Pinto will return to Triple-A after Mejia was reinstated Friday. Pinto has appeared in 22 games for Tampa Bay this year and has a .206/.239/.309 slash line and 43.7 percent strikeout rate in 71 plate appearances.

Mejia (shoulder) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia made one rehab appearance with the Rays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate this week and has been cleared to rejoin the big-league roster after spending the 10-day minimum on the shelf. The 26-year-old should step in as Tampa Bay's primary backstop since Mike Zunino (shoulder) is out for the year.

Haase is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.

Haase had been operating as Detroit's primary catcher, but he'll hit the bench Friday for the fourth time in the past six games. Tucker Barnhart will start behind the plate to form a battery with Bryan Garcia.

Murphy went 1-for-5 with a two-run double and a run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.

Murphy collected his sixth and seventh RBI over the last five games -- including his fifth in the last two -- with his third-inning two-bagger. The backstop did strike out in three other plate appearances, but he's been an asset for the Athletics and fantasy managers since the All-Star break with a .279/.380/.651 slash line, four doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, seven walks and nine runs across the last 12 games.

Stephenson underwent surgery Thursday to stabilize a fracture in his right clavicle, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

According to Rosecrans, the procedure is designed to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort in Stephenson's right shoulder, but his timeline for a return shouldn't be affected. The Reds placed Stephenson on the 60-day injured list earlier this week, making him ineligible to return until the final two weeks of the season.

Contreras went 2-for-8 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and two runs scored across both games of Thursday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Contreras did his damage early in the matinee, taking St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas deep in the first inning. The catcher, who perhaps surprisingly didn't leave Chicago before the trade deadline, now has 15 home runs and an .835 OPS this season. He should be primed for a strong finish to the year in a familiar environment, though the 41-63 Cubs may opt to mix in some rest days.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional RBI in a 7-3 win against the Red Sox on Thursday.

Perez gave Kansas City the lead with his RBI single in the fifth inning and later extended it in the seventh with a controversial three-run home run that went off the padding at the base of the left-field foul pole. The 32-year-old has batted a mediocre 7-for-28 since returning from a thumb injury July 29, though four of those hits have left the yard. Perez's 15 home runs tie him for the MLB lead at catcher despite significant missed time and is slashing .215/.253/.458.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Guardians.

Maldonado's playing time is on the decline with Christian Vazquez joining the Astros at the trade deadline. That didn't matter Thursday, as Maldonado hit a two-run double and a solo home run for his third multi-hit effort in his last nine games. The veteran catcher is slashing .178/.242/.356 with 11 homers, 33 RBI, 27 runs scored and 11 doubles through 80 contests. Still, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Maldonado to receive much more than two starts a week with a more productive catcher in Vazquez around to handle the starting role.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-4 with a run scored in a 6-4 loss to the Mets on Thursday.

The catcher missed one game with a stomach illness. D'Arnaud has gone 7-for-38 (.184) in his last 10 contests, though he hasn't produced an extra-base hit since July 6. He has a .251/.298/.431 slash line with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 39 runs scored and 15 doubles in 70 games overall, though he'll likely continue to share catching duties with William Contreras.