MLB Player News

Cartaya returned from a hand injury Thursday, but he's gone 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in two games for High-A Great Lakes since getting back into the lineup.

Cartaya received two pieces of good news Thursday -- he was selected to the 2022 Futures Game and was also back in the lineup for Great Lakes after leaving last Sunday's contest due to an apparent hand injury. The backstop struck out twice in his first game back and three times the following day, but there's no indication that the hand issue is to blame. Cartaya is still posting a strong .292/.414/.542 slash line along with five homers, nine doubles and 17 RBI over 25 games at the High-A level this season.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Maldonado started the past five games and will receive a breather in the series finale Sunday afternoon. Korey Lee will take over behind the plate for Houston.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

P.J. Higgins will step in behind the dish for the series finale after Gomes caught each of the Cubs' last three games while going 0-for-9. Though top backstop Willson Contreras appears to have moved past a hamstring injury, he still may see ample starts as a designated hitter during the final week before the All-Star break, which should continue to open up reps at catcher for Gomes.

Kirk is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Seattle.

Kirk was in the lineup the past six games and posted a .530 OPS during that stretch, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Gabriel Moreno will work behind the plate in his place and bat eighth.

Garver will serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and No. 7 hitter in Sunday's game against the Twins.

Garver will be making what's expected to be his 45th and final start of the season Sunday, as he's scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Monday to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right forearm. The injury has prevented Garver from catching since May 8 and has seemingly compromised him at the plate while he's served exclusively as a DH ever since. Since returning May 19 from his initial stint on the injured list, Garver has slashed .215/.303/.458 with seven home runs and a stolen base in 31 games. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can feel comfortable dropping him after Sunday's game.

Perez (thumb) was spotted taking part in some on-field work in his catcher's gear prior to the Royals' game Sunday against the Guardians, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Notably, Perez was catching with a glove on his surgically repaired left thumb, which signals that he's responded well to the procedure he had June 24. The veteran backstop is still expected to be sidelined for nearly two months, so fantasy managers shouldn't plan on having him back in the lineup until late August. Until then, MJ Melendez will operate as the Royals' primary catcher.

Maile is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

On the bench for the third time in four games, Maile is set to serve as the Guardians' No. 2 catcher moving forward after top backstop Austin Hedges was reinstated from the 7-day concussion injured list Friday.

Perez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

With a southpaw (Eric Lauer) on the hill for Milwaukee, the lefty-hitting Perez will take a seat in the series finale. Jason Delay replaces Perez behind the plate.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

With lefty Jose Quintana on the hill for the Pirates, the lefty-hitting Narvaez will cede duties behind the plate to Pedro Severino. Narvaez went 1-for-7 with three walks while catching in each of Milwaukee's previous three games.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in a win over the Astros on Saturday.

The hard-hitting backstop extended a stretch of strong work at the plate to eight games, with Saturday's production pushing his slash line over that span to a stellar .333/.333/.533. Murphy also has been collecting plenty of extra-base hits all season; Saturday's two-bagger gives him 29 XBHs over 76 games, leaving him on pace to eclipse the career-high 40 he generated in 2021 across 119 contests.