MLB Player News

Barnhart is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cubs.

He is hitting .179 with 10 strikeouts and two home runs over his last 10 games. Rookie Tyler Stephenson will get his first big-league start and second MLB appearance at catcher while hitting seventh.

Thaiss will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and will bat second Thursday against the Rangers, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss will pick up his third straight start after assignments at second base Tuesday and in left field Wednesday. With David Fletcher (ankle) and Franklin Barreto (shoulder) on the shelf, the keystone likely represents Thaiss' most realistic path to consistent action in the short term. The lefty-hitting Thaiss could occupy the larger side of a platoon at the position with the switch-hitting Luis Rengifo.

Murphy is not in Thursday's lineup against the Astros.

Murphy has a .214/.353/.429 slash line with two home runs, four runs and five RBI over his last 10 starts. Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Huff will be added to the Rangers' roster prior to Thursday's game against the Angels, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers would have had to add Huff to the 40-man roster this offseason anyway, so they are going to do so a few months early so that they can get a look at him against big-league pitching. Huff's 70-grade raw power is impressive by any standards, let alone compared to other catching prospects. However, he has typically logged horrific BB/K rates (0.16 at Low-A, 0.23 at High-A) and has never played above High-A, so it would be surprising if he does much more than ambush the occassional meatball during this cup of coffee. Jose Trevino (wrist) could be headed to the injured list in a corresponding move, so it would be Huff and Jeff Mathis splitting time behind the dish in the short term.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-7 with a home run, three RBI and two runs Wednesday in the Braves' 29-9 win over the Marlins.

D'Arnaud got involved in the 11-run second inning rally with a three-run homer that just cleared the left-field wall. The veteran backstop is hitting .312/.361/.550 this season with seven home runs and 25 RBI, clearly entrenching himself as Atlanta's No. 1 catching option after operating in more of a timeshare with Tyler Flowers over the first couple weeks.

Huff could be called up to the active roster with Jose Trevino (wrist) expected to miss at least a few games, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers will be without a second catcher for a few games, and Huff is a possibility to be called up. Texas manager Chris Woodward said the team would consider Huff, but it is not going to bring him up if he doesn't play consistently. Huff doesn't have experience above High-A, but the team has shown a willingness to give young players a chance in September. The organization also has veterans Tim Federowicz and Nick Ciuffo at the alternate camp.

Thaiss went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run Wednesday against the Rangers.

Thaiss took Brett Martin yard in the seventh inning for his first home run of the season. He's spent the majority of the campaign at the team's alternate site and is likely to only serve as depth around the infield. However, it is worth noting that the Angels outfield is banged up and Thaiss earned the start in left field Wednesday.

McCann went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI during the White Sox' 8-1 win over the Pirates on Wednesday. He also had a sacrifice fly.

McCann took JT Brubaker deep twice, bringing his total to five home runs for the 2020 season -- with four against righties. Mostly a platoon option, McCann has counter-intuitively hit .435 in 23 at-bats versus lefties this season. McCann is a quality pitch framer to boot and has potential as a strong option should Yasmani Grandal to miss any time.

Trevino was removed from Wednesday's game against the Angels with a left wrist sprain.

The 27-year-old had X-Rays come back negative, so he appears to have avoided a serious injury. Trevino should be considered day-to-day until the team provides another update on his status.

Stubbs was optioned to the alternate training site Wednesday and will remain with the team on the taxi squad, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 27-year-old earned a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he'll be removed from the active roster with Josh James (hip) returning from the injured list. Stubbs went 1-for-8 with one run and one RBI in 14 appearances this season.