MLB Player News

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Alvarez will get a breather for the day game Sunday after he started behind the plate Friday and Saturday. Luis Torrens will step in as the Mets' starting catcher in place of Alvarez, who has gone 2-for-14 with two RBI through his first four starts since returning from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Fortes appeared to be taking control of the Marlins' No. 1 catching job earlier this month, but he's fallen back into more of a timeshare with Christian Bethancourt of late, with both backstops having now made two starts apiece over the last four contests. The downturn in playing time comes while Fortes has turned in a .120/.154/.120 slash line through 10 games in June.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Murphy will rest for the series finale after he started behind the plate Friday and Saturday while going 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored. Travis d'Arnaud will garner the start at catcher Sunday.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Even though he served as the Cardinals' designated hitter the last two days rather than catching, Herrera will take a seat for the series finale in Chicago. Masyn Winn will get a day off from playing shortstop and will serve as St. Louis' DH, while Pedro Pages picks up a fourth consecutive start behind the plate. Though Pages' playing time has been trending up of late, he's still holding down a lowly .443 OPS on the season and still looks to be behind Herrera on the depth chart while top backstop Willson Contreras (forearm) is on the shelf.

The Pirates recalled Delay from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Delay joined the Pirates in Colorado ahead of Saturday's game and should split catching duties with Yasmani Grandal while Henry Davis (concussion) is sidelined. Delay has posted a .523 OPS over 34 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

The Pirates placed Davis (concussion) on the 7-day injured list Saturday.

Davis was removed from Friday's 5-2 win over the Rockies with concussion-like symptoms. Jason Delay was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move and should be expected to serve as the primary understudy to Yasmani Grandal at catcher while both Davis and Joey Bart (thumb) are on the shelf.

Smith is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith will give way to Austin Barnes behind the dish for the second time in three days, with Barnes batting ninth Saturday. In 256 plate appearances, Smith owns a .848 OPS with 10 homers and a 16.0 percent strikeout rate.

Contreras (forearm) is targeting a return in late June, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Contreras has resumed taking batting practice and hopes to be cleared to begin a rehab assignment early next week. If that happens, a return sometime during the Cardinals' June 22-30 homestand is likely. It would be at least a couple weeks quicker than he was initially expected back following surgery in early May to repair a fractured forearm.

Campusano is not in the lineup for Saturday's contest versus the Mets.

He will give way to Kyle Higashioka at catcher for the second day in a row and the third time over the Padres' last four contests. Campusano has just a .541 OPS since the beginning of May.

Bailey is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Angels.

Bailey will get a breather after he went 5-for-17 with a double, two RBI and a run scored while starting each of the team's last five contests. Curt Casali will take over behind the plate and bat ninth versus Los Angeles.