MLB Player News

Jansen is not in the lineup Friday versus the Guardians.

Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher as he and Jansen continue to split time at the position. They're both right-handed hitters, so it's not a natural -- nor predictable -- platoon in Toronto.

McCann (hand) is back in the lineup Friday against the Rockies.

McCann will start at catcher and bat sixth after missing a couple of games due to a bruised left hand. He was slashing .464/.515/.714 through 33 plate appearances in August prior to that minor injury and has a favorable matchup Friday versus Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.

Lee is getting another start at catcher and batting ninth Friday versus the Athletics.

Acquired from the Astros ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline in exchange for Kendall Graveman, Lee went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in his White Sox debut Thursday versus Oakland. The 25-year-old is expected to play regularly down the stretch as Chicago looks ahead to 2024 and beyond.

Wong is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Dodgers, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Wong had started each of the last three contests behind the plate but will yield to Reese McGuire for this one. Expect Wong to be back in there for one or both of the next two games of the weekend series.

Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Friday's tilt versus the Cubs, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The Pirates have now gone with Jason Delay at catcher for two of the last three games, although Rodriguez did appear as a pinch-hitter in the first of those contests he didn't start. Rodriguez also caught all 10 frames of Thursday's extra-innings loss to the Cubs, but he'll begin this one on the bench.

Realmuto is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

The Phillies were off Thursday, so Realmuto will receive two days of rest to recharge his battery. Garrett Stubbs will do the catching for Cristopher Sanchez.

Fry (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Fry last appeared in a game Aug. 4, but he resumed baseball activities just over a week ago. The 27-year-old will likely get two or three games with Columbus as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain. Once he's cleared to return, he'll be available to provide an additional short-side platoon option at catcher, first base, right field or designated hitter. Considering the Guardians already have three catchers on the roster and have bolstered their outfield this month, first base is his most reasonable path to playing time, at least until Josh Naylor (oblique) returns.

Moreno went 3-for-4 in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Reds.

Moreno's surged at the plate over the past week, hitting safely in five of six games, including multiple hits in four. He's 10-for-24 with a double, two home runs and seven RBI over that stretch. Moreno's put up a respectable line during his first full season in the majors, slashing .282/.321/.392 over 83 games. His emergence prompted to the Diamondbacks to move on from Carson Kelly, who served as the club's primary catcher the four previous seasons.

Langeliers went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in an 8-4 win over the White Sox on Thursday.

Langeliers produced half of Oakland's runs in the victory, knocking a three-run homer in the fourth inning and adding a solo shot in the sixth. The backstop has gone deep four times over his past four games, batting .308 with six RBI over that span. Langeliers is up to 15 homers on the season, making him one of 13 catchers in the league to reach that mark so far.

Jeffers hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter against Texas in a 7-5 win Thursday.

With the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jeffers slugged a 427-foot, two-run homer to provide the winning runs for Minnesota. Though the backstop continues to rake, he has been on the bench more often than not lately as Christian Vazquez has been the primary starter behind the plate. The Twins may need to find a way to get Jeffers' bat in the lineup more often, though, considering that he is batting .329 with six homers, 17 RBI and three thefts over 76 at-bats since the All-Star break.