MLB Player News

Okey will have his contract selected by the Reds on Friday after Tyler Stephenson sustained a fractured thumb, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Okey spent the last two seasons at Triple-A Louisville, and he slashed .265/.324/.441 with a homer, 12 runs and nine RBI over 24 games at the to begin the 2022 campaign. The 27-year-old should provide depth at catcher behind Aramis Garcia while Stephenson is unavailable.

Jeffers isn't starting Thursday against the Yankees.

Jeffers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in Wednesday's win over the Yankees, and he'll be out of the lineup for the third time in the last four games. Gary Sanchez will start behind the dish while Jose Miranda serves as the designated hitter.

Ruiz isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Miami.

Ruiz started in the last four games and went 2-for-14 with an RBI, a stolen base, three walks and a strikeout. Riley Adams will take his place behind the dish and bat seventh.

Stephenson sustained a fractured right thumb during Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson had a strong start to the 2022 season, slashing .305/.361/.468 with five home runs, 31 RBI, 21 runs and a stolen base over 42 games. He missed a week and a half earlier in the year due to a concussion but is now facing an absence of at least a month due to the thumb injury. Aramis Garcia should serve as the Reds' primary catcher in Stephenson's absence, while the team will also presumably call up another backstop from the minors.

Rutschman isn't starting Thursday against the Royals, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman is resting after he went 1-for-8 with a strikeout over the last two games. Robinson Chirinos will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Hedges isn't in the lineup Thursday against Oakland.

Hedges went 1-for-8 with an RBI and a strikeout over his last two games and will be out of the lineup Thursday for the fourth time in the last six matchups. Luke Maile will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Raleigh uncorked his seventh long ball of the season at a particularly timely juncture, as his 386-foot blast to right center in the fourth inning with Abraham Toro aboard knotted the game at 3-3. The young backstop still carries an abysmal .167 average and .232 on-base percentage for the season, but he's now left the yard three times in his last six games while producing a .300/.333/.800 slash line in that sample of 21 plate appearances.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Murphy's fourth-inning knock plated Stephen Vogt with what would turn out to be the second and final run of the night for Oakland. The struggling backstop, who'd snapped a brief four-game, 0-for-14 skid Tuesday, is still carrying just a .202/.276/.367 slash line with a 26.7 percent strikeout rate on the season.

D'Arnaud (forearm) is starting Thursday against the Pirates.

D'Arnaud missed the last two games due to forearm soreness, but he'll start behind the plate and bat fifth Thursday. Over his last five games, the 33-year-old hit .286 with two homers, six RBI, three runs, a walk and two strikeouts.

Stephenson left Thursday's contest early with a hand injury, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

He was forced out of the game after a foul ball went off his bare right hand while catching, and Aramis Garcia replaced him behind the plate. More information will likely be provided on Stephenson's status following the conclusion of Thursday's matchup.