MLB Player News

Naylor will sit Saturday against Texas.

Naylor kicked off the second half by going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, but his reward will be a trip to the bench. The Guardians have been hesitant to start him against southpaws, so it will be Cam Gallagher who gets the nod against Andrew Heaney.

Jansen will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Jansen opened the second half behind the plate but will turn things over to Alejandro Kirk on Saturday. Both backstops have dropped off at the plate this season after excellent production last year, though Jansen's 101 wRC+ (the product of a .227/.281/.459 slash line) beats Kirk's 78 wRC+ by a wide margin.

Knizner (groin) will not be activated from the injured list Saturday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Despite being cleared to return Friday, Knizner will remain on the injured list through Saturday as the Cardinals contemplate keeping three catchers on the active roster. With Willson Contreras firmly in the starting spot, a decision to cut down to two backstops would send either Knizner or Ivan Herrera down to Triple-A Memphis. Knizner is slashing .227/.254/.418 through 115 plate appearances this season.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 12-4 loss to the Rangers.

Naylor was heating up just before the All-Star break and kept it going Friday with his second career homer. The catcher is 6-for-11 with five RBI over his last three contests. Through 60 plate appearances this season, he's slashing .218/.283/.364 with two long balls, seven RBI and nine runs scored. If Naylor can hit more consistently, he may be able to take a more definite edge in playing time over Cam Gallagher -- the two backstops have mostly worked in a platoon so far.

Bailey went 1-for-5 with one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Friday's 6-4 win over the Pirates.

Bailey was effective on both sides of the stolen-base equation Friday, as he also threw out Tucupita Marcano in the third inning. Bailey's theft was the first in his career, and as a catcher, he shouldn't be expected to run frequently. He's also slashing .290/.320/.483 with five home runs, 27 RBI, 15 runs scored, 11 doubles and a triple over 41 contests, though he's hitting a light .167 in July.

Soderstrom, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, went 0-for-3 with a walk in his big-league debut Friday against the Twins.

Soderstrom didn't slot in at either catcher or first base, instead filling the designated hitter role in his big-league debut. The 21-year-old is expected to provide some solid power numbers in time, and he should be in line for regular opportunities given his ability to fill up to three positions.

Moreno isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup Saturday against Toronto.

Moreno will get a breather Saturday one day after going 2-for-4 with a homer against his former team. Carson Kelly will fill in behind the plate and bat eighth while Moreno sits.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 8-3 win over Philadelphia.

Sanchez produced the first run of the contest with a solo shot to left field in the third inning. The long ball was his first since June 22 and just his second across his past 24 contests. Sanchez has slashed a paltry .167/.268/.278 over that stretch, though he's at least managed to keep his strikeout rate (22.0 percent) in check while posting a healthy 12.2 percent walk rate. The veteran's season slash line of .200/.273/.424 over 139 plate appearances is far from exceptional, but with eight homers and 22 RBI, he's been easily San Diego's best offensive option behind the plate.

Moreno went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-2 loss to Toronto.

Moreno made an impression against the team that traded him to Arizona during the offseason. The catcher threw out George Springer attempting to steal in the first inning, then he homered in the seventh to knot the game at 2-2. It was the third home run of the season for 23-year-old Moreno, who continues to serve as the primary catcher even with the return of Carson Kelly. The 29-year-old Kelly is batting just .163 over 14 games since being activated from the 60-day injured list in mid-June.

Heim went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory against the Guardians.

Heim already had three RBI before capping off his night with an eighth-inning solo homer. The catcher has belted six long balls over his last 20 games, giving him 13 this season. He's slashing a robust .287/.342/.490 with 62 RBI and 34 extra-base hits through 322 plate appearances.