MLB Player News

Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Cardinals.

Rodriguez was on the basepaths all night, collecting three singles and drawing a walk in Pittsburgh's blowout victory. In 29 games since earning the promotion from Triple-A on July 17, the rookie catcher has posted a slash line of .267/.337/.430 with two home runs, eight RBI and 13 runs scored across 95 plate appearances. Rodriguez has showcased an impressive average exit velocity of 90.4 mph and an above-average walk rate of 9.5 percent. However, his 27.4 percent strikeout rate may impact his overall productivity.

Raleigh went 3-for-5 with two homers, a double, six RBI and three runs scored in Monday's win over the White Sox.

Raleigh knocked a solo homer in the fifth inning followed by a three-run shot in the eighth. He's gone deep 10 times in the last 20 games, giving him 24 on the year. However, he's hitting just .213 (16-for-75) during that stretch. Raleigh improved his season slash line to .225/.301/.467 with 61 RBI and 44 extra-base hits through 110 games.

Soderstrom was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Soderstrom posted just a .484 OPS over 93 plate appearances in his first stint in the big leagues, so he will head back to Las Vegas for the time being and try to get back on track at the plate. If he can, chances are Soderstrom will get another look at the top level before the campaign comes to a close.

Wong is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

On the bench for the third time in four games, Wong's status as the Red Sox's No. 1 catcher could be on shaky ground. Wong's downturn in playing time comes while he's turned in a .189/.231/.378 slash line through 15 games in August. Meanwhile, Reese McGuire owns a .739 OPS so far this month, and the Red Sox could be inclined to ride the hot bat of the two backstops if Wong's performance continues to lag behind.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez is on the bench for the second game in a row, but the Mets haven't suggested that the young backstop is dealing with an injury. Instead, Alvarez's consecutive absences are likely part of a predetermined management plan, as manager Buck Showalter acknowledged over the weekend that the Mets intend to keep a close eye on the 21-year-old's workload heading into the final month of the season, per James O'Connell of the New York Daily News. Alvarez is still expected to remain the Mets' nominal No. 1 catcher down the stretch, though veteran Omar Narvaez could end up cracking the lineup more frequently than he has been for most of the season.

Higashioka went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's loss to Boston.

Higashioka got the start behind the dish and put the Yankees on the board with his third-inning, game-tying solo shot. The Yankees don't seem to have committed to either Higashioka or Ben Rortvedt as their primary catcher, as they've both seen spurts of starts followed by consecutive contests on the bench recently. Between the pair, Higashioka is putting up better offensive numbers in August, slashing .250/.323/.464 with two homers and seven RBI compared to Rortvedt's .077/.200/.192 slash that includes one homer and just one RBI.

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

Rogers will take a seat for the series opener to make room in the lineup for Carson Kelly, who is making his Tigers debut after signing with the team over the weekend. Kelly (.581 OPS, 58 wRC+ in 92 plate appearances) didn't fare much better during his time with the Diamondbacks this season than Eric Haase did (.530 OPS, 44 wRC+ in 282 plate appearances) had with Detroit prior to being waived, so Rogers' standing atop the depth chart at catcher shouldn't be seriously threatened.

The Guardians claimed Haase off waivers from the Tigers on Monday.

After Detroit moved him off its 40-man roster last week, Haase will stick within the American League Central and begin his second stint in the Guardians organization after he was drafted by Cleveland in 2011 before being traded to the Tigers in 2020. Haase has no minor-league options remaining, so he'll join the 26-man active roster and will step in as the new No. 2 catcher behind Bo Naylor while Cam Gallagher (concussion) and David Fry (hamstring) are on the injured list. Prior to being cut by the Tigers, Haase slashed an abysmal .201/.246/.284 over 282 plate appearances on the season.

The Cubs released Barnhart on Sunday.

Barnhart cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and has now officially hit the free-agent market. The veteran catcher managed just a .541 OPS across 44 games for the Cubs this season.

Stephenson entered as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's 10-3 loss to Toronto.

Stephenson homered as a pinch hitter for Luke Maile in the seventh inning and finished out the game behind the plate. The blast was Stephenson's ninth and first in 12 games. The Reds primary catcher has hits in four straight games but has struggled overall since the All-Star break, recording a .203/.276/.304 line over 25 contests.