MLB Player News

Grandal (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus Kansas City.

As expected, Grandal will remain on the bench Saturday as he tends to his ailing hamstring. Seby Zavala will draw another start behind the plate and bat ninth against the Royals.

Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Tigers.

The catcher took Mason Englert deep in the seventh inning for his fourth long ball of the season, helping make the final score respectable after the Nationals had fallen into an 8-0 hole. Ruiz has had trouble building any momentum at the plate, slashing just .158/.222/.316 through 15 games in May, and it's possible the 24-year-old is already wearing down under a heavy workload -- only four other backstops in the league (Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras, Salvador Perez and Tyler Stephenson) have more plate appearances in 2023 than Ruiz, but all four have seen more time at DH than he has.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Rangers.

Diaz accounted for the Rockies' only runs of the game with an RBI double before coming around to score in the sixth inning. He also hit third in the order against Martin Perez -- the third consecutive time he's done so against a southpaw. Diaz continues to put together a strong campaign and has maintained a 120 wRC+ and .373 wOBA across 142 plate appearances.

An MRI on Friday revealed that Bart has a Grade 1 left groin strain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Grade 1 is the mildest strain, so this is good news for Bart. The catcher was placed on the injured list before Friday's game against the Marlins, and he has a chance to return to the lineup before the end of May.

Fortes is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Giants, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Fortes has been alternating backstop duties with Jacob Stallings, and Fortes will take a seat on the bench for Friday's series opener as Stallings hits eighth and starts behind the plate.

Grandal (hamstring) isn't starting Friday against the Royals and probably won't catch Saturday either, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said the team wanted to give Grandal time to rest his hamstring, which has been giving him problems over the past week. The veteran backstop is available to pinch hit, but Seby Zavala will start behind the dish until Grandal is fully recovered.

Thaiss is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Thaiss has seen the majority of playing time behind the plate lately for the Angels, but he'll get a day off Friday. Chad Wallach is starting behind the plate and hitting eighth.

The Mets selected Sanchez from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday.

After signing a minor-league deal with the Mets on May 9, Sanchez's promotion will prevent him from exercising his opt-out clause. The 30-year-old backstop holds a .671 OPS in Triple-A this season but has excelled since joining the Mets' Triple-A team, slashing .308/.514/.500 through 37 plate appearances. Sanchez will likely be used off the bench until Tomas Nido (eye) and Omar Narvaez (calf) return from their injuries.

Alvarez (undisclosed) is back behind the plate and will bat ninth Friday against the Guardians.

Alvarez missed Thursday's win with an undisclosed injury, but he appears ready to go for the series opener with Cleveland. The catcher has gone 2-for-17 over his last five contests, though both hits went for extra bases.

Nido (eye) was cleared to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Single-A St. Lucie.

Nido was placed on the injured list May 10 due to lingering issues with dryness in both of his eyes, but that has been solved via punctal plugs and medicated eye drops. It's unclear how he'll eventually fit back into the mix at catcher with the Mets, who promoted Gary Sanchez on Friday to back up Francisco Alvarez.