MLB Player News

Higashioka went 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-4 victory versus San Diego.

Higashioka played for the Padres last season and recorded career highs with 17 homers and 45 RBI. He hadn't been able to carry that production over to Texas, as the veteran backstop came into Saturday with just one homer and 16 RBI across 44 games. Higashioka tormented his former club, though, swatting a two-run homer in the third inning before adding an RBI single in the fourth and eighth frames sandwiched around a sacrifice fly in the sixth. For good measure, the catcher swiped a bag in the eighth inning, marking his first theft as a Ranger and just his third over his nine big-league campaigns. Higashioka boosted his season OPS nearly 50 points from .573 to .621, but that's still well below the .739 mark he registered last year.

Jansen went 3-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and a walk Saturday against the Twins.

Jansen recorded his first three-hit game and just his third multi-hit performance in his last 17 starts. However, he has been productive in other ways in that span, and he now has 14 RBI and 12 runs scored. Jansen remains the primary catcher for the Rays and has started five of the team's last six games.

Sanchez was pulled from Saturday's game against Atlanta due to right knee pain, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

It's unclear how Sanchez injured his knee, but he made an early exit in the fifth inning and is scheduled to undergo an MRI. With Adley Rutschman (oblique), Maverick Handley (concussion) and Chadwick Tromp (back) all on the injured list, Jacob Stallings would benefit from additional playing time if Sanchez has to miss a few starts.

Dingler isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.

After going 2-for-4 in Friday's series opener, Dingler will retreat to the bench Saturday while Jake Rogers catches for Casey Mize and bats ninth.

Stephenson isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

After going 5-for-11 over his last three games, Stephenson will grab a seat on the bench Saturday while Jose Trevino catches for starter Nick Lodolo and bats seventh.

Quero went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.

The rookie catcher took advantage of a trip to Coors Field to launch his first career MLB homer, and it was a big one -- Quero broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning when he hooked an Antonio Senzatela curveball over the right-field wall. While his power hasn't shown up consistently yet, Quero is slashing a respectable .273/.347/.331 through his first 193 plate appearances for the White Sox with seven doubles and 19 RBI.

Baldwin went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles.

The rookie backstop accounted for all of Atlanta's offense when he crushed a Charlie Morton fastball to right field in the sixth inning. Baldwin has hit a bit of a wall over the last couple weeks, going just 2-for-18 since June 24, but both hits left the yard. On the season, he's slashing .274/.348/.476 with 10 homers and 28 RBI, and Atlanta seems content to deploy a timeshare behind the plate with Baldwin and Sean Murphy, with each catcher starting five of the last 10 games.

Kelly went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Cardinals.

Kelly hit one of eight Chicago home runs on the afternoon, which included three from Michael Busch and two from Pete Crow-Armstrong. The veteran catcher now has 10 long balls this season, and he's been hot recently, recording a .407 batting average and 1.152 OPS over his last 10 games. Kelly should remain the Cubs' top backstop moving forward, though he'll receive competition for playing time when Miguel Amaya (oblique) returns from the injured list, which is expected sometime around the All-Star break,

Smith went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Friday's 18-1 loss to the Astros.

Smith was the only Dodger to put together a successful effort at the plate against Houston's pitching duo of Lance McCullers and Jason Alexander. It's been a strong stretch of late for Smith, who has gone 14-for-37 (.378) with six homers and seven RBI over his last 12 games. The catcher is at a .330/.433/.564 slash line with 12 homers, 45 RBI, 44 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 doubles and one triple over 69 contests.

Caratini went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, two doubles and a second run scored in Friday's 18-1 win over the Dodgers.

Caratini has launched a pair of grand slams over his three games in July. He's 6-for-14 with eight RBI to begin the month in fine form. Overall, the catcher continues to perform well at the plate. He's slashing .254/.308/.429 with eight homers, 27 RBI, 21 runs scored and nine doubles across 208 plate appearances this season.