MLB Player News

Vazquez isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Vazquez started the last six games and hit .222 with a homer, three doubles, four RBI, three runs and six strikeouts. Kevin Plawecki will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Mejia will sit Thursday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will take a seat Thursday after he went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's victory. Christian Bethancourt will start at catcher and bat fifth in the series finale.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

The Rockies' catching timeshare continues, as Diaz and Brian Serven have now alternated turns behind the dish over the past 10 games. Diaz has gone 5-for-19 with three doubles and a walk, so at this point, he appears to have done his part to ensure his playing time doesn't slip further.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored Wednesday against the Padres.

Diaz has enjoyed the start to the Rockies' current homestand, collecting multiple hits in each of his last two starts. Wednesday's performance also marked the first time this season that Diaz has tallied multiple extra-base knocks in a game. It's been a disappointing season overall for the veteran backstop, as he has a .219/.271/.348 line across 218 plate appearances and is entrenched in a timeshare with Brian Serven behind the plate in Colorado.

Perez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

The lefty-hitting Perez will take a seat with southpaw Braxton Garrett on the mound for Miami, marking the fourth time in the last five games the backstop has been out of the lineup. The Pirates appear content to roll out a strict platoon at catcher between Perez and the righty-hitting Jason Delay.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes is included in the lineup for the third game in a row and is getting his second turn behind the plate of the series after serving as a designated hitter in Wednesday's 5-4 win. The 25-year-old has produced an .866 OPS on the season, and the massive edge he holds in that category over the defensive-minded Jacob Stallings (.478) could be enough for Marlins manage Don Mattingly to consider deploying the two backstops in a timeshare, if not an arrangement that tilts more in Fortes' favor.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stallings will get a breather for the matinee game after he went 0-for-2 while logging eight innings behind the dish in Wednesday's 5-4 win. Nick Fortes will catch for starting pitcher Braxton Garrett in the series finale.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

The Dodgers trailed by six runs through six innings before Smith set off a late-game comeback with his two-run blast to center field in the seventh. The long ball extended his on-base streak to eight games, during which he's slashing .296/.424/.444 with seven RBI. Smith leads all major-league catchers with 14 homers on the season, and he is tied for first at the position with 45 RBI.

Marchan was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

The 23-year-old was promoted Tuesday since starting catcher J.T. Realmuto can't enter Canada due to his vaccination status. Garrett Stubbs started both games behind the plate for the Phillies, so Marchan will return to the minors without making his season debut.

Wong was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

The 26-year-old was up in the majors the past few days but will quickly return to the minors with Kevin Plawecki back from the COVID-19 injured list. Wong is 1-for-7 with an RBI and two strikeouts in his eight big-league games this year.