MLB Player News

Rutschman hit .314/.411/.525 with four homers, 16 RBI, 19 runs and 19:24 BB:K across 33 games for Triple-A Norfolk after being promoted in August.

The minor-league season is now over, and it was a strong one for the 2019 draft's No. 1 pick. His composite line for the season: .283/.398/.513 with 22 homers and a 74:81 BBB:K. At this point, there's no doubt that Rutschman is ready for the majors, with his power and plate discipline putting him in strong position to make an instant impact. The only question is whether he'll break camp with the O's next year or get held back for some more Triple-A action in an attempt to manipulate his service time -- although that may become a moot point depending on what happens in baseball's ongoing collective-bargaining negotiations. Either way, there's not much standing in front of Rutschman's ascendance.

Rortvedt was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

Rortvedt had served as extra catching depth since late August while Mitch Garver was out with a back injury. He went 6-for-19 with a homer in his latest stint with the team. With Garver now healthy, he's no longer needed, so he'll head back to the minors.

Garver (back) was activated off the injured list Tuesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

Garver missed nearly a month with a lower-back strain but is ready to go after appearing in three rehab games. He should return to the primary catcher role over the last two weeks of the season and will look to build on his strong .242/.352/.527 slash line.

Maldonado went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Monday's win over the Angels.

Maldonado has hit safely in each of his last three games, but perhaps more importantly, he snapped a homer drought that dated back to Aug. 25, when he blasted a solo shot against the Royals. The veteran backstop is hitting just .170 this month while striking out 15 times in 47 at-bats, so he hasn't been very productive over the last couple of weeks.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 7-2 win over Cleveland during the first game of Monday's doubleheader.

The veteran catcher took Triston McKenzie deep in the fifth inning, wrapping up the scoring for the Royals in the matinee. Perez is now tied with Vladimir Guerrero for the major-league lead in homers at 46 -- a total that sets a new MLB record for most home runs in a season by a catcher, breaking the mark set by Johnny Bench in 1970.

Ruiz went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a run in the loss to the Marlins on Monday.

The rookie opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with a two-RBI single off of Jesus Luzardo, driving in teammates Lane Thomas and Juan Soto. He later singled in two more in fifth inning against reliever Zach Pop. The four RBI were a career-high for the catcher in what was his third three-hit game in four contests.

Stallings was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list Monday.

Stallings will be eligible to return for the final week of the season, but concussion timelines can be very tough to predict, so it's possible he's already played his final game of the season. Taylor Davis' contract was selected to take his place on the roster, with Michael Perez set to serve as the starting catcher.

Davis had his contract selected by the Pirates on Monday.

Davis was acquired by the Pirates in June and will receive his first big-league opportunity with the organization since Jacob Stallings (concussion) landed on the injured list. Davis should operate as the No. 2 backstop while Michael Perez handles primary catching duties with Stallings out.

D'Arnaud isn't starting Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

D'Arnaud will get a breather after he went 1-for-16 with a three-run homer and six strikeouts across the last four games. William Contreras will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Stassi is not in the lineup Monday against the Astros.

Stassi started the past two games and will receive a day to reset after going 0-for-7 with a walk and six strikeouts. Kurt Suzuki will work behind the plate for the Halos.