MLB Player News

Rortvedt went 3-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored Saturday against the White Sox.

The former Yankee has had a relatively even share of the playing time at catcher alongside Rene Pinto, but Rortvedt has started three of the Rays' last four games. He had a big performance Saturday and narrowly missed his first home run of the season, which was originally ruled to have cleared the fence only to be overturned on replay. Rortvedt has benefitted from a .548 BABIP to inflate his batting average early on, though he has a 10.2 percent walk rate across 225 career big-league plate appearances, which gives him a boost in on-base leagues.

Rutschman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Athletics.

Rutschman is on fire with an eight-game hitting streak, going 15-for-36 (.417) in that span with two homers, nine RBI and four runs scored. The catcher's surge has him up to a .324/.368/.438 slash line with three homers, 16 RBI, 16 runs scored and three doubles through 25 games. Rutschman's power numbers are more or less in line with his first two seasons and he's making more contact, but he's also posted a 6.1 percent walk rate so far. He's locked in as the Orioles' No. 2 hitter.

Reds manager David Bell said the removal of Stephenson from Saturday's game versus the Rangers following a hit-by-pitch on the right hand was precautionary, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It doesn't sound like Stephenson even needed to undergo any testing. It's possible the Reds will choose to hold him out Sunday, particularly because it's an afternoon game, but Stephenson is expected to be fine.

Kelly (ribs) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

Kelly was scratched ahead of Friday's game against Kansas City due to left ribcage soreness. While Kelly won't start Saturday, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that the backup catcher is available for the contest, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.

Fortes isn't in the Marlins' lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

Fortes will take a seat Saturday after going 1-for-3 with an RBI during Friday's win in the series opener. Christian Bethancourt will instead get the nod behind the dish and bat ninth.

Amaya isn't in the Cubs' lineup Saturday against Boston.

Amaya will take a seat Saturday after going 0-for-8 over his last two contests. Yan Gomes will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-2 win over the Mets.

The Cardinals mustered just five hits, but Contreras and Alec Burleson provided a pair of homers to make it work. Contreras continues to play through a lingering hand injury, and while it's limited his ability to catch, he's been fine at the plate. Since the injury occurred April 3, he's gone 17-for-52 (.327) with two homers, six doubles and five RBI. For the season, he's slashing .296/.425/.563 with four homers, nine RBI, 12 runs scored, seven doubles and a stolen base over 21 contests. Contreras will continue to split time between catcher and designated hitter.

Nido went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.

The 30-year-old backstop took Miles Mikolas deep in the fifth inning to get the Mets on the board and give Nido his first homer in the majors since Sept. 2022. He had a hot start to the season at Triple-A and hasn't slowed down in the majors yet, going 3-for-9 while starting three of the last five games. With Omar Narvaez struggling both at the plate and in controlling the running game, the door is open for Nido to take on a significant role while Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is on the shelf.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and scored twice in Friday's 9-4 win over Tampa Bay.

Maldonado hasn't exactly been the greatest offensive catcher in the big leagues this season, as his sixth-inning three-run homer gave him his first three RBI of 2024. The 37-year-old is still batting just .087 on the year, and fantasy managers should not expect him to have many more games similar to Friday's showing.

Bailey went 1-for-4 with a walk-off, three run home run in Friday's 3-0 win against the Pirates.

The Giants mustered just four singles through eight innings Friday, but Bailey broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth with a 378-foot shot over the wall in right field. The 24-year-old backstop hit just seven homers in 97 games as a rookie last season, but he's well on his way to eclipsing that in 2024 with three long balls through 20 contests. Bailey has been a key offensive piece for San Francisco early in the season with a .297/.365/.516 slash line, five doubles and 10 RBI in addition to the homers.