MLB Player News

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

Higashioka and DJ LeMahieu hit back-to-back-back jacks off Zack Littell in the third inning. In his age-33 season, Higashioka has tallied a career-high 32 RBI and is just two home runs away from a new best mark in that category. For the year, he's slashing .231/.269/.404 with nine homers, 21 runs scored and a 12:60 BB:K in 224 plate appearances.

Diaz went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Diaz entered the game as a pinch hitter for Martin Maldonado in the eighth inning and had the luxury of facing backup catcher Carson Kelly, who was pitching for the Tigers to preserve the bullpen while Houston held a 12-0 lead. The rookie still took advantage of the favorable matchup and supplied his 19th home run, setting an Astros record for most home runs in a season for a catcher. Diaz is still in a timeshare behind the dish with Maldonado, though the Astros have found ways to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup at designated hitter and first base on his non-catching days. The 24-year-old is now slashing .284/.304/.537 with 48 RBI and 39 runs in 313 plate appearances on the campaign.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.

Maldonado swatted his 11th home run of the season in the seventh to put the Astros out front 7-0. He now has two home runs over his last three games and has an RBI in four of his last five. The 36-year-old is having another abysmal year at the plate, striking out at a career-high 34.2 percent rate and slashing just .183/.252/.329 with 27 RBI, 26 runs and a 24:114 BB:K in 333 plate appearances.

Heim went 1-for-6 with a grand slam in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Twins.

The fourth-inning slam was Heim's first extra-base hit in 11 games since he returned from a wrist injury. In that span, he's gone an awful 3-for-30 (.100) with a 2:8 BB:K, a dry spell that saw him on the bench Friday and Saturday. Heim has been one of the better offensive catchers in baseball this season with a .265/.322/.455 slash line, 15 homers, 74 RBI, 51 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases over 101 contests. Mitch Garver hasn't been bad either, and he could push for time behind the dish if Heim doesn't get back on track soon.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers.

Sanchez put the Padres ahead 3-1 in the second inning with his blast, which was his sixth homer over 16 games in August. For the month, he's still batting just .241 (13-for-54), but he's been locked in from a power perspective. Overall, the catcher is at a .215/.287/.493 slash line with 18 long balls, 45 RBI, 32 runs scored and seven doubles over 68 contests between the Mets and the Padres this season.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and two RBI in Sunday's 10-6 win over the Padres.

Contreras launched a solo shot in the first inning and added an RBI double in the seventh, accounting for the Brewers' first and last runs of the game. He's riding a seven-game hitting streak, batting .385 (10-for-26) with two homers, nine RBI, 10 runs scored and seven walks in that span. The catcher has maintained a .278/.355/.459 slash line with 14 long balls, 63 RBI, 63 runs scored, 31 doubles and a stolen base through 109 contests overall.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Travis d'Arnaud will start behind the plate for the second time in the series while Murphy receives another rest day. Murphy is hitting .160 and getting on base at a .320 clip since the All-Star break, and that downturn in productivity has cost him some starting opportunities thus far in the second half.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Herrera had supplanted Carson Kelly as Arizona's No. 1 catcher in early August, but even though Kelly has since been released, Herrera has lost hold of his spot atop the depth chart after Gabriel Moreno was activated from the injured list Aug. 13. He'll sit out for the fifth time in six games while Moreno gets another turn behind the dish.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Fermin seems to have moved into more of a part-time role of late, as he'll hit the bench for the third time in seven games while he's slashed a paltry .107/.129/.143 since Aug. 15. With Salvador Perez picking up more playing time behind the dish rather than at first base or designated hitter of late, Matt Beaty has been gaining more traction in the Royals' everyday lineup.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Vazquez will sit out the day game after a night game, affording Ryan Jeffers a turn behind the plate. After he entered the series versus Texas with a five-game hitting streak, Vazquez went 0-for-7 over his two starts against the Rangers.