MLB Player News
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
Padres' Martin Maldonado: Poaching starts from Elias Diaz
Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Maldonado will pick up his ninth start in 14 games and seems to have at least moved into a timeshare behind the plate with Elias Diaz. The two backstops have produced at a similar level offensively -- Maldonado owns a .572 OPS compared to Diaz's .592 mark -- but Maldonado is regarded as the superior pitch framer of the two. Unless Diaz picks up the pace at the plate to separate himself from Maldonado from a performance standpoint, the playing time could tilt in the latter's favor.
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Elias Diaz C | SD
Padres' Elias Diaz: Losing work to Maldonado
Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Diaz was responsible for the only scoring in Tuesday's 2-0 win when he popped a two-run home run in the second inning, but that has been one of the few highlights for the veteran backstop this season. He's hitting just .190/.306/.286 over 50 plate appearances, and Diaz's poor production has resulted in him moving into more of a timeshare with Martin Maldonado behind the plate. Maldonado will pick up the start Wednesday and has now been included in the lineup in nine of the Padres' last 14 games.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Poised to return Friday
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Alvarez (hand) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday against the Nationals, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.
Alvarez will play one more rehab game with Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, and as long as he gets through that without any hiccups, he'll be activated Friday and likely in the lineup for the series opener versus the Nationals. The catcher is 7-for-35 with one home run in his first nine rehab contests. Alvarez is coming back from surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.
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Sean Murphy C | ATL
Braves' Sean Murphy: Taking seat Wednesday
Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cardinals.
Murphy caught both of the first two games of the series but will receive a day off for Wednesday's matinee. Drake Baldwin will start behind the plate and bat sixth for Atlanta.
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Sean Murphy C | ATL
Braves' Sean Murphy: Goes deep again Tuesday
Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.
Murphy got Atlanta on the board with a solo blast in the fourth. It was Murphy's sixth big blast of the season in just his 12th game, and he currently leads the team in home runs. Murphy's batting average continues to hover around the Mendoza Line and currently sits at .209, but he's made up for it so far with his power and sports a .948 OPS.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Sensational start continues Tuesday
Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs.
Smith launched a homer, his third of the year, in the sixth inning to cut into Chicago's lead and make it a 7-5 game. The hard-hitting backstop does receive the occasional day off, but he's been sensational at the dish early in 2025. Smith is slashing .350/.453/.567 with four doubles, 15 RBI, eight runs scored and one stolen base through 75 trips to the plate, and his RBI upside in fantasy should remain among the elites in a star-studded Dodgers lineup.
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Miguel Amaya C | CHC
Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Hits key home run Tuesday
Amaya went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 11-10, 10-inning win over the Dodgers.
Amaya delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning but saved his best for last Tuesday night. The catcher's ninth-inning home run with two outs tied the game at 10 before the Cubs prevailed in extras. Amaya has been a solid producer with a .278 average, .798 OPS and two long balls across 15 games as he continues to split playing time with Carson Kelly.