MLB Player News

Zavala is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Reese McGuire will be behind the plate for the series opener, but Zavala still looks like manager Tony La Russa's preferred option at catcher while Yasmani Grandal (back) is stuck on the injured list. Zavala started in four of the previous five games and went 8-for-16 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI and two runs during that stretch.

Stassi isn't starting Thursday against the Orioles, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi went 1-for-7 with a double, a run, three walks and five strikeouts while starting in the last three games. However, Kurt Suzuki will take over behind the dish and bat ninth Thursday.

Stallings isn't starting Thursday against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stallings started in the last four games and went 2-for-13 with a run, a walk and four strikeouts. Nick Fortes is taking over behind the plate and batting ninth Thursday.

Knizner isn't starting Thursday against Atlanta, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Knizner went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday and will be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Austin Romine is starting behind the dish and batting ninth, and he appears to be the slight favorite for playing time behind the dish for now.

Vazquez will sit Thursday versus the Yankees.

Vazquez will get a breather after he went 2-for-11 with a walk in the series versus Tampa Bay. Kevin Plawecki will take over behind the plate and bat ninth Thursday.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game at Philadelphia, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz started the past two contests and will take a seat for Thursday's series finale. Tres Barrera will work behind the plate and bat eighth.

Reds manager David Bell said Stephenson (thumb) will play two more games during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville before returning from the 10-day injured list, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson is expected to start at catcher in one of the games and designated hitter in the other, though it's unclear if the Reds plan on having him play both of the next two days or if he'll get a day off in between. Regardless, Stephenson looks like he should be back in action for the Reds no later than Sunday, assuming he experiences no setbacks with his fractured right thumb. Once reinstated from the IL, Stephenson will take over as the Reds' No. 1 catcher, pushing Aramis Garcia back into a reserve role.

Perez will sit in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Perez will get a breather after he went 0-for-6 with a strikeout in the final two games of the series against the Yankees. Jason Delay will get the start behind the plate and bat ninth in Thursday's matinee.

Higashioka went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 16-0 win over the Pirates.

Higashioka homered in the seventh inning, bringing New York's lead to 5-0. He came around to score in the next inning on Aaron Judge's grand slam, then knocked in Josh Donaldson for the final score of the game in the ninth inning. This was the catcher's second appearance in July. He picked up his first hits since June 21. Higashioka raised his batting average 10 points thanks to the two-hit performance, taking it to .174 on the year.

Barnhart went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Guardians.

Barnhart has seen Eric Haase get more playing time lately, as the latter has five home runs over his last 12 games. Barnhart hasn't helped his cause with a .154 batting average over his past 10 contests, but he does now have hits in three straight games. The veteran should still see plenty of playing time due to his abilities behind the plate, though Haase will continue to draw starts due to his power potential.