MLB Player News

Narvaez will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Narvaez will pick up his second start in three games while No. 1 backstop Francisco Alvarez rests. The Mets have suggested that the 22-year-old Alvarez could have his catching workload managed down the stretch, so Narvaez could end up moving into more a timeshare behind the plate in September rather than serving as a clear No. 2 option. Narvaez is slashing .205/.294/.341 with one home run, three RBI and four runs in 16 games since the All-Star break.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Alvarez will sit for the second time in three days while the Mets remain conscious of managing the 22-year-old's catching workload as the season winds down. Omar Narvaez will get another turn behind the plate and could end up working in a roughly even timeshare with Alvarez in the final month of the campaign.

Rogers is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Rogers will get a break in the Tigers' series opener with the Yankees after he started at catcher in four of the previous five contests. Carson Kelly will step in behind the dish and form a battery with starting pitcher Reese Olson.

Mejia cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Meija has accepted the outright assignment, per Topkin, which isn't a surprise since declining it would mean forfeiting what remains of his $2.16 million salary for this season. The catcher is under team control for 2024 but would seem to be a likely non-tender candidate.

Haase went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 10-7 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays.

Haase has made two starts since the Guardians claimed him off waivers from the Tigers last Monday. Both of those games have seen him start behind the dish, but his path to playing time there is crowded with both Bo Naylor and Cam Gallagher also on the roster. Haase has a paltry .203/.249/.284 slash line with four home runs, four steals, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, eight doubles and a triple over 290 plate appearances this season. He's gone 2-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts with Cleveland, but it seems unlikely the 30-year-old will get into the lineup much more than once or twice a week.

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

Higashioka and DJ LeMahieu hit back-to-back-back jacks off Zack Littell in the third inning. In his age-33 season, Higashioka has tallied a career-high 32 RBI and is just two home runs away from a new best mark in that category. For the year, he's slashing .231/.269/.404 with nine homers, 21 runs scored and a 12:60 BB:K in 224 plate appearances.

Diaz went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Diaz entered the game as a pinch hitter for Martin Maldonado in the eighth inning and had the luxury of facing backup catcher Carson Kelly, who was pitching for the Tigers to preserve the bullpen while Houston held a 12-0 lead. The rookie still took advantage of the favorable matchup and supplied his 19th home run, setting an Astros record for most home runs in a season for a catcher. Diaz is still in a timeshare behind the dish with Maldonado, though the Astros have found ways to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup at designated hitter and first base on his non-catching days. The 24-year-old is now slashing .284/.304/.537 with 48 RBI and 39 runs in 313 plate appearances on the campaign.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Maldonado swatted his 11th home run of the season in the seventh to put the Astros out front 7-0. He now has two home runs over his last three games and has an RBI in four of his last five. The 36-year-old is having another abysmal year at the plate, striking out at a career-high 34.2 percent rate and slashing just .183/.252/.329 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and a 24:114 BB:K in 333 plate appearances.

Heim went 1-for-6 with a grand slam in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Twins.

The fourth-inning slam was Heim's first extra-base hit in 11 games since he returned from a wrist injury. In that span, he's gone an awful 3-for-30 (.100) with a 2:8 BB:K, a dry spell that saw him on the bench Friday and Saturday. Heim has been one of the better offensive catchers in baseball this season with a .265/.322/.455 slash line, 15 homers, 74 RBI, 51 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases over 101 contests. Mitch Garver hasn't been bad either, and he could push for time behind the dish if Heim doesn't get back on track soon.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers.

Sanchez put the Padres ahead 3-1 in the second inning with his blast, which was his sixth homer over 16 games in August. For the month, he's still batting just .241 (13-for-54), but he's been locked in from a power perspective. Overall, the catcher is at a .215/.287/.493 slash line with 18 long balls, 45 RBI, 32 runs scored and seven doubles over 68 contests between the Mets and the Padres this season.