MLB Player News

Maldonado was traded from the Royals to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for Mike Montgomery, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Willson Contreras (foot) is currently being considered day-to-day, but the acquisition of Maldonado could mean Contreras' injury is worse than initially thought. Either way, Maldonado will provide the Cubs with veteran experience behind the dish moving forward. He's slashing .224/.288/.359 with six homers and 17 RBI over 73 games this season.

Bemboom was traded from the Rays to the Angels on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.

Bemboom made a brief appearance in the big leagues this season with the Rays, going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI over three games. He was just activated from the 60-day injured list Monday after missing time with a left knee sprain, but he'll be ready to contribute with the Angels immediately. He'll likely begin his Angels career in the minors.

Thaiss will head to the bench for Monday's game against the Astros.

Thaiss went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Sunday's series finale with Seattle, but he'll take a seat Monday with Framber Valdez set to serve as the bulk reliever. David Fletcher will lead off and man the hot corner, opening the door for Luis Rengifo to draw a start at second base.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Vazquez was behind the dish for two of the Red Sox's three games against the Dodgers over the weekend and started at first base in the other, so he'll just be getting a breather in the series opener versus Toronto. Sandy Leon will work in a battery with starting pitcher Rick Porcello.

Diaz is not starting Monday against the Cardinals.

Diaz has hit .167/.235/.200 over his last 10 games. Jacob Stallings takes over behind the plate in his absence.

The Rays reinstated Bemboom (knee) from the 60-day injured list Monday and designated him for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With the 20-day window for Bemboom's minor-league rehab assignment coming to a close, the Rays were forced to bring him back from the IL. Since both Mike Zunino and Travis d'Arnaud are locked in as the top two catchers at the big-league level, there wasn't any room for Bemboom on the roster. Given Bemboom's status as a defensive-minded catcher who didn't reach the majors until he was 29 years old, expect him to go unclaimed off waivers and remain in Tampa Bay's organization as a depth option at Triple-A Durham.

Contreras (foot) remains out of the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Contreras left Saturday's game against the Pirates with a sore right foot and did not participate in Sunday's contest. VIctor Caratini remains the starter behind the plate in his absence.

The Mariners promoted Raleigh on Monday from High-A Modesto to Double-A Arkansas, Modesto radio broadcaster Keaton Gillogly reports.

Raleigh punched his ticket to Arkansas after slugging nine home runs in his final 11 games in the California League. Over 82 games with Modesto, the backstop slashed .261/.336/.535 with 41 extra-base knocks (22 home runs, 19 doubles).

Raleigh is hitting .342 (13-for-38) with eight home runs and 17 RBI over his last 10 games at High-A Modesto.

The 22-year-old backstop has left the yard on four occasions over the Ports' last five games alone, and he's up to a career-high 22 homers and 66 RBI across 348 plate appearances. Raleigh impressed with short-season Everett after being selected out of Florida State with the 90th overall pick in the 2018 draft, and his body of work this season underscores his considerable upside as a power-hitting backstop that's also capable of making above-average contact (sub-20.0 percent strikeout rates at both Everett and Modesto).

Nola went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Angels on Sunday.

The rookie's second-inning, 407-foot shot to center extended the Mariners' 2-0 lead at the time and served as Nola's second career round tripper. The 29-year-old has multi-hit efforts in two of his last four starts and continues to sport an impressive .323/.364/.548 line across his first 33 big-league plate appearances.