MLB Player News

Rutschman (elbow) will start at catcher and bat third Thursday against the Orioles, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

After missing each of Boston's last three games due to a lingering elbow injury, Rutschman will return to the starting nine for the beginning of a four-game set against his former club. The 28-year-old has struggled mightily since joining the Red Sox at the trade deadline, slashing just .170/.254/.245 across his last 59 plate appearances.

Romo is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Houston.

Romo was behind the dish for the last two tilts, so he'll get a breather during Thursday's matinee. Jake Rogers will start at catcher and will bat ninth as the White Sox close out the series.

Kirk is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Cleveland.

Kirk was behind the dish in each of the last four contests for the Blue Jays, so he's earned a breather during Thursday's matinee. It will be Brandon Valenzuela doing the catching for Toronto.

Bailey is out of the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Blue Jays.

After starting both of the first two games of the series at catcher, Bailey will exit the lineup for Thursday's matinee. Austin Hedges will step in behind the dish and bat eighth in the series finale.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 9-0 win over the Nationals.

The veteran catcher has caught fire at the plate now that he's fully healthy for the first time in a few years. Murphy has hit safely in five straight games, batting .500 (9-for-18) during that heater with two doubles, three homers, seven runs and seven RBI. His surge has allowed Drake Baldwin to get more rest while serving as Atlanta's primary DH, and Murphy should continue to see regular playing time as the team tries to keep its key players fresh for the playoffs.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Philadelphia.

McCann, who had struck out twice against Phillies starter Andrew Painter, homered on the first pitch of the eighth inning off reliever Jonathan Bowlan. He reached low for a sweeper down in the zone for his fifth home run of the season. As the backup catcher, McCann gets a couple of starts per week, but as the Diamondbacks battle for a postseason berth, manager Torey Lovullo may be tempted to get starting catcher Gabriel Moreno's bat in the lineup as much as possible. That could result in Moreno slotting in at DH and McCann working behind the dish.

Bernal went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-6, extra-inning win over the Dodgers.

After a 1-for-5 debut Tuesday, Bernal delivered his first big-league homer in his second game. The 22-year-old got the start at designated hitter Wednesday, but he's expected to see a decent share of playing time at catcher over the remainder of the campaign, though the Cardinals also have Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages capable of playing behind the dish. Bernal hit .278 with an .831 OPS at Triple-A Memphis this year prior to his promotion.

Jensen went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to Miami.

It was Jensen's first multi-homer game of the year and the second of his career. The catcher is picking up steam in the power department, going yard four times in his past six outings. Through 521 plate appearances, Jensen is slashing .226/.313/.426 with 21 homers, 26 doubles, 64 RBI and 63 runs scored this year.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Smith went 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored Tuesday during his first game back from the injured list, and he'll retreat to the bench Wednesday as the Dodgers look to ease him back into action. Hunter Feduccia will fill in behind the plate and bat ninth.

Heineman is not in the Angels' starting lineup against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Heineman will get a breather after going 2-for-6 with a double and two runs scored over the first two games of the series. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind home plate and bat ninth while forming a battery with southpaw Reid Detmers.