MLB Player News

Murphy went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in a win over the Mariners on Thursday.

Murphy extended the Athletics' lead to 2-0 with his sixth-inning two-bagger, snapping a brief 0-for-11 skid in the process. The struggling backstop owns just a .217 batting average and .303 OBP, but he's cobbled together a respectable .416 SLG thanks to exactly half of his 58 hits going for extra bases (17 doubles, 12 home runs), which has led to a solid 45 RBI.

Stassi is out of the lineup Friday against the Twins, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi started the last two games and will receive the day off Friday. Kurt Suzuki will catch for Alex Cobb and bat fifth in his absence.

Nola will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Marlins.

Nola returned from a knee injury Thursday but won't be asked to start two games in a row right away. Victor Caratini will catch Joe Musgrove in his absence.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Thursday.

Murphy's 394-foot shot to left field in the seventh inning resulted in the only run for the Mariners on a night when the Athletics' Sean Manaea rang up a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings. The veteran backstop owns an abysmal .197/.281/.376 slash line for the season, but at least 15 of his 37 hits have gone for extra bases (seven doubles, eight home runs).

Jansen was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a strained right hamstring, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen picked up the hamstring injury during Wednesday's matchup with the Red Sox and is expected to face a significant absence, per Mitch Bannon of SI.com. Alejandro Kirk was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.

Kirk was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kirk was activated from the injured list Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A, but he'll quickly rejoin the major-league roster for Toronto. Reese McGuire has a .671 OPS for the season and is 4-for-31 in his past 10 games, so Kirk should have the chance to secure the starting role behind the plate. Per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet, he'll start at catcher Friday versus the Mets. Danny Jansen (hamstring) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move.

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a triple and a run in an extra-inning win over Cleveland on Thursday.

He continues to capitalize on a rare string of starts due to the absence of Mike Zunino (hip), with Thursday's production pushing Mejia's average over the last five games to a blistering .438 (7-for-16). The backstop's three-bagger was just an extension of a favorable pattern of putting very good wood on the ball -- four of Mejia's seven hits during the aforementioned span have now gone for extra bases. Although the Associated Press reports Zunino wanted to play Thursday but was overruled by manager Kevin Cash in favor of one more day of rest, Mejia may have earned himself at least a slight uptick in playing time going forward with his recent performances.

Trevino (forearm) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Trevino landed on the shelf in late June with a bruised right forearm, but he'll rejoin the active roster after a six-game rehab stint. He could reclaim primary catching duties at some point, though Jonah Heim will work behind the plate Friday.

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Contreras started the past four contests and will take a seat after going 3-for-15 with two doubles and a walk during that stretch. Robinson Chirinos will work behind the plate in his absence.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss against the Giants.

Smith has been one of the best offensive catchers in all of baseball this season and his power displays have been noticeable of late, as he has three homers over his last five contests. The backstop is hitting .261 with a .844 OPS through 80 games this season and should continue to handle most of the catching duties in one of the most complete lineups in the National League.