MLB Player News

Grandal isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup for Saturday's game versus Cleveland.

Grandal has put together a nice six-game hitting streak, during which he's 7-for-20 with two homers, three RBI and five runs scored. However, he'll sit Saturday in favor of Henry Davis, who will bat ninth while catching for Luis Ortiz.

Wong will start at second base and bat sixth Saturday against the Tigers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

As Smith notes, Wong has played 21 innings at second base in his major-league career, but this will be his first career start at the position. Wong homered and doubled in Friday's win over Detroit, and overall he's slashing .285/.339/.432 with 12 homers in 401 plate appearances this season. He could end up playing more at second base than Nick Sogard in the absence of David Hamilton (finger).

Higashioka was scratched from the Padres' lineup ahead of Saturday's game versus Tampa Bay due to flu-like symptoms.

Higashioka has tallied base hits in his last two games -- including a solo home run Wednesday -- but he'll be forced to sit out Saturday as he fights off an illness. Luis Campusano will fill in behind the plate while batting eighth.

Jeffers is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Christian Vazquez will step in behind the plate to catch for starting pitcher Zebby Matthews. Jeffers has enjoyed a productive month with a .926 OPS and five homers, and for the season he's been a top-10 fantasy catcher.

Stephenson isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday versus Milwaukee.

After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the second game of Friday's twin bill, Stephenson will sit down against Frankie Montas and the Brewers on Saturday. Luke Maile will get the starting nod at catcher instead and bat ninth.

Amaya isn't in the Cubs' lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

Amaya has been white-hot recently, going 13-for-26 with two homers, 13 RBI and seven runs scored over his last seven games. He'll get a chance to rest Saturday while Christian Bethancourt starts behind home plate and bats ninth.

Ruiz isn't in the Nationals' lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cubs.

Ruiz will get a breather Saturday after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts during a loss in Friday's series opener. Drew Millas will catch instead for southpaw DJ Herz while batting eighth.

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in a win over the Rangers on Friday.

The Athletics' offense remained hot Friday, and Langeliers produced one of four multi-hit efforts. The power-hitting backstop snapped a 12-game homerless drought with the ninth-inning round tripper, and the pair of RBI it produced were only his second and third since he drove in four during a 4-for-5 performance against the Mets on Aug. 13.

Wong went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over Detroit.

Wong doubled a run home in the fourth inning and then increased Boston's lead with a homer in the sixth. He'd gone eight games without an RBI and 11 without a home run. The catcher's unsustainable BABIP from earlier in the season has caught up to him in the second half, but Wong continues to be a clutch hitter for the Red Sox, posting a .309 average with runners in scoring position.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 10-9 win over the Diamondbacks.

Smith's seventh-inning blast gave the Dodgers some insurance they would wind up needing when Arizona struck for four runs in the ninth. The catcher has had a largely forgettable August, going 12-for-68 (.176) over 19 contests. He's hit two homers and driven in 10 runs in that span. For the season, Smith has a .243/.325/.428 slash line with 17 homers, 66 RBI, 63 runs scored and 22 doubles across 108 games.