MLB Player News

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

Higashioka will get a break for the series opener in Houston after he caught eight innings and went 1-for-4 at the dish in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets. Jonah Heim will step in for Higashioka behind the dish Monday.

Jeffers hasn't been fully cleared from concussion protocol but is going through most baseball activities, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Those activities include batting practice, which Jeffers took Monday. Jeffers won't be allowed to return from the 7-day injured list until he's fully cleared, but it seems that could happen soon. With Christian Vazquez (shoulder) also out, the Twins have been using Jhonny Pereda and Mickey Gasper at catcher.

The Angels designated Wallach for assignment Monday.

Wallach provided catching depth over the weekend while Logan O'Hoppe (concussion) and Travis d'Arnaud (concussion) were sidelined, but with O'Hoppe cleared to return, Wallach is no longer needed. He caught two innings during his brief time with the big club but didn't receive a plate appearance.

O'Hoppe (concussion) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list Monday.

O'Hoppe has passed through the league's concussion protocol and will end up spending the minimum amount of time on the injured list. His return will bump Sebastian Rivero down to a backup role while Travis d'Arnaud (concussion) is sidelined. The Angels also designated Chad Wallach for assignment to make room on the roster for O'Hoppe's return. Prior to his stint on the 7-day IL, O'Hoppe had a .532 OPS with one steal, eight runs, two homers and six RBI across 32 games since the All-Star break.

Vazquez (shoulder) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Vazquez has been shelved since early August with an infection in his left shoulder and had surgery in late August to clean the shoulder out. He's on the comeback trail now, though, and is expected to return from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season.

Feduccia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

After taking a seat against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga in Sunday's 4-3 loss, the left-handed-hitting Feduccia will now give way to Nick Fortes behind the plate while the Rays face off against a right-hander (Trey Yesavage) in the series opener. Feduccia is batting just .156 since being acquired from the Dodgers at the trade deadline and could be at risk of losing out on his strong-side platoon role at catcher.

Heineman will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Rays.

No. 1 backstop Alejandro Kirk will receive a day off as Toronto opens its three-game series in Tampa, paving the way for Heineman to receive a turn behind the plate. Since returning to the active roster June 3 after a stint on the 7-day injured list due to a concussion, Heineman has slashed .258/.362/.393 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs in 40 games.

Kirk is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Kirk will rest for the series opener in Tampa after he went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run while catching seven innings of Sunday's 11-2 win over the Orioles. Tyler Heineman will step in behind the dish Monday.

The Nationals announced Monday that Ruiz (concussion) will continue to participate in baseball activities this week, though it's unclear if he'll return from the 7-day injured list before the end of the season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

The organization will likely wait and see how Ruiz fares in his workouts over the next few days before deciding on his next steps. Ruiz is the midst of his second stint on the injured list due to concussions and was pulled off a rehab assignment earlier this month after experiencing renewed symptoms.

Pages is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Pages had made starts behind the plate in four of the Cardinals' previous five games, but he'll take a seat as St. Louis opens a three-game set with one of its divisional rivals. Jimmy Crooks will handle catching duties Monday.