MLB Player News

Contreras (hip) is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup versus the Mets on Thursday.

Contreras left Monday's game early with hip tightness after injuring himself while tagging up from first to second base, and he was out of the lineup the past two days. He is slashing .378/.472/.630 with six home runs over his last 119 at-bats.

Single-A Palm Beach placed Bernal on its 7-day injured list Aug. 10 with an unspecified injury.

Bernal, a 19-year-old catching prospect from Panama, is in the midst of his second season at Palm Beach. Over 323 plate appearances prior to landing on the shelf, Bernal slashed .265/.381/.362 with three home runs and four stolen bases. The extent of his injury isn't clear, making it uncertain whether he'll be able to play again in 2023.

Raleigh is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Kansas City.

Raleigh was behind the plate for each of the first three games of the series, so he'll get a breather for the afternoon tilt as the Mariners try to take three of four. Brian O'Keefe will do the catching for George Kirby.

Perez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Perez caught last night's loss to Seattle, so he'll get some rest for this afternoon contest as the Royals try for a series split. Freddy Fermin will do the catching Thursday.

Perez went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Cardinals on Wednesday, his first start since being activated from the injured list Tuesday.

Perez had a pinch-hitting cameo in Tuesday's game and delivered a single in that capacity, and he then drew into the starting nine as the designated hitter Wednesday. The versatile veteran is capable of occasional offensive contributions and can fill in at both catcher and first base in addition to DH, so he should continue to see fairly regular playing time down the stretch.

Soderstrom entered Wednesday's win over the Cardinals as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and hit a solo home run in his only plate appearance.

Soderstrom provided the final run of the afternoon for the Athletics with a massive 454-foot homer to center with one out in the ninth inning. The rookie's second career round-tripper also extended a stretch of modest success at the plate, as it marked his fourth time hitting safely in the last five games. Soderstrom still has plenty of catching up to do against big-league arms before becoming a reliable offensive contributor, however, as he's carrying a .171/.250/.263 slash line across his first 84 plate appearances.

Thaiss went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 2-0 win against the Rangers on Wednesday.

Thaiss came into Wednesday having gone 0-for-10 over his previous five games and batting a meager .107 through 28 at-bats in August. He snapped the cold spell, at least temporarily, with a 450-foot solo blast to center field in the ninth inning that gave the Angels an important insurance run. Thaiss has been working as Los Angeles' primary catcher of late with Chad Wallach also struggling this month, though both backstops will likely see less playing time when Logan O'Hoppe (shoulder), who his currently rehabbing in Triple-A, returns to the lineup in the coming weeks.

Gallagher (head) was removed from Wednesday's game versus the Reds to undergo precautionary testing, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Gallagher went 0-for-1 before sustaining the head injury. He can be considered day-to-day until the results of those tests are known, but there's a chance he could end up on the 7-day concussion injured list if the results aren't good.

Smith went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Brewers.

Smith also supplied a sacrifice fly. The catcher had gone just 4-for-22 over his last seven games since his previous multi-hit effort. For the season, he's up to a .277/.378/.469 slash line with 15 home runs, 61 RBI, 62 runs scored, two stolen bases and 18 doubles through 94 games as a consistent presence in the heart of the lineup.

Raleigh went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Royals.

Raleigh's blast capped off a three-run first inning for the Mariners. The catcher snapped his 0-for-14 skid with the long ball, which was his fifth of the month and 21st of the year. He's posted a .221/.301/.448 slash line with 53 RBI, 56 runs scored and 18 doubles over 105 contests, providing solid power from the middle of the lineup.