MLB Player News

Smith (neck) took part in on-field batting practice Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The BP session marks a significant milestone for Smith, who has been on the shelf for over two months due to a neck injury. The veteran backstop resumed baseball activities in late July and appears to be moving closer to kicking off a minor-league rehab assignment. If all goes well for Smith moving forward, he could rejoin the big-league club by the final week of August or first week of September.

Kirk went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI double and a solo home run during the Blue Jays' 3-1 win over the Yankees on Friday.

Kirk put the Blue Jays ahead with an RBI double in the sixth inning before adding an insurance run with a long ball off Bradley Hanner in the eighth. Kirk has recorded two hits in three of his last four outings and has gone 15-for-39 (.385) with two home runs and nine RBI across 12 games in August.

Goodman is not in the lineup for Friday's game in San Francisco.

Goodman will receive a day of rest after starting each of the previous six contests. Brett Sullivan will do the catching for the Rockies in Friday's series opener.

Basallo (shoulder) is taking live batting practice Friday at Tropicana Field ahead of the Orioles' game against the Rays, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Basallo has been sidelined since July 19 due to right shoulder inflammation, but he's now swinging a bat and is expected to head out on a rehab assignment in the very near future. Basallo just turned 22 years old Thursday and owns a .756 OPS with 16 home runs, 46 RBI, 34 runs scored and a 26:82 BB:K across 311 trips to the plate this season. Carlos Narvaez and Yohel Pozo have been handling catching duties while Basallo is out.

The White Sox claimed Rogers off waivers from the Red Sox on Friday.

Boston designated Rogers for assignment earlier in the week after activating catcher Adley Rutschman from the injured list. Rogers quickly found a new home in Chicago, which will be the fourth stop for the veteran backstop in less than three weeks after he was DFA'd by Detroit at the end of July, then traded to the Orioles before being shipped to the Red Sox on Aug. 3. Rogers will share time behind the plate with Drew Romo while Chicago waits for Kyle Teel (ankle) and Joey Bart (hand) to return from the injured list.

Crooks is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

The Cubs have a righty on the mound in Clay Holmes, but the left-handed-hitting Crooks will begin the contest on the bench. Ivan Herrera will do the catching for the Cardinals, and Bryan Torres will slot in at designated hitter.

Quero went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored Thursday against the Reds.

Quero has earned steady playing time with both Kyle Teel (ankle) and Joey Bart (hand) sidelined, having been in the lineup in four of the White Sox's last five games. It remains a small sample, but he has performed well in that span, going 5-for-13 with three walks. Quero will likely continue to split time with Drew Romo behind the plate, but he at least appears to be the preferred option against lefties at this point.

The Twins designated Jackson for assignment Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

With both Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini healthy, Jackson is the odd man out on Minnesota's 26-man roster. Jackson has appeared in 29 games for the Twins this season, slashing a solid .303/.333/.409 with one homer, five RBI, 11 runs scored and a 1:23 BB:K across 69 plate appearances.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 9-8 win over the White Sox.

Stephenson broke open a tie with a three-run homer in the fourth inning. It was his 11th home run of the season. He continued a strong second half and is now slashing .302/.397/.635 with five home runs, 10 doubles, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored over 19 games since the All-Star break.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup Thursday night against the Angels, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Diaz will head to the bench after going 1-for-4 in the team's 5-2 loss Wednesday. The 35-year-old continues to rotate behind the plate with Austin Wynns while Kyle Higashioka (forearm) is on the injured list. Wynns will start at catcher and bat eighth in the series finale.