MLB Player News

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.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Rutschman logged his fifth multi-hit effort in his last seven games. Over that span, he's gone 13-for-29 (.448) with three doubles and three RBI. The catcher was batting .265 on Aug. 15, but he's up to .277 with an .800 OPS, 16 home runs, 61 RBI, 67 runs scored, a stolen base and 22 doubles through 122 games this season. Since the Orioles are finding success with Rutschman batting leadoff, he should continue in that spot as long as his bat remains hot.

Wong went 4-for-6 with a double, a two-run homer and three additional runs scored in Thursday's win over Houston.

Wong's been showing signs of coming around at the plate recently, going 7-for-18 (.389) with a pair of homers in his last five games after starting the month with a 6-for-32 (.188) slump. He's now up to seven home runs on the season after hitting just one since June 1, a span of 60 games. Overall, Wong is slashing .248/.299/.413 with 48 runs scored and 31 RBI across 322 plate appearances while splitting catching duties with Reese McGuire in Boston.

Casali (foot) was removed from his minor-league rehab assignment Thursday.

Casali isn't immediately rejoining the Reds' 26-man active roster, so he might have suffered a setback of some sort. The veteran catcher landed on the 10-day injured list in late July because of a left foot contusion.

McCann (hand) isn't in the Orioles' lineup Thursday against Toronto, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

McCann took a 98-mph fastball to his left hand during Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays, and he ended up sitting out Wednesday's game as well. Luckily, McCann said his hand is feeling much better, and he could potentially come off the bench Thursday if need be, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.

Kirk isn't in the Blue Jays' lineup Thursday against the Orioles.

Kirk is just 2-for-18 across his last five games, so the Jays will give him a day off to regroup Thursday. Danny Jansen will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.

Smith is not in the lineup for Thursday's later game at Cleveland.

Smith caught all nine innings and went 0-for-4 with an RBI sac fly in Wednesday's rain-suspended 6-1 win, which had to be concluded Thursday afternoon. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate in the Dodgers' regularly-scheduled tilt versus the Guardians.

Perez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

The White Sox are swapping out catchers, replacing Perez with Korey Lee. Perez has managed just a .611 OPS over 18 games during his time with the big club this season.

Lee was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Acquired from the Astros in the Kendall Graveman trade, Lee has batted .278/.325/.386 with five home runs and 13 stolen bases over 357 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in 2023. It's been a significant power drop-off after he slugged 25 homers in the minors last season, but Lee still has the potential to be an above-average hitting catcher who also offers some rare speed at the position. It's possible he receives regular at-bats down the stretch as the White Sox turn the page to 2024.

Ruiz is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Yankees due to lightheadedness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz took a foul tip off his catcher's mask in the Nationals' blowout loss to New York on Wednesday and was feeling the effects of it Thursday morning. There's no word yet as to whether he'll have to be placed in concussion protocol. Riley Adams is starting behind the dish and batting seventh in Thursday's matinee game at Yankee Stadium.