MLB Player News

Smith isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

Smith will retreat to the dugout to begin Thursday's contest after going 6-for-16 with three homers over his last five games. Hunter Feduccia will fill in behind the plate and bat eighth.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rangers.

After starting each of the previous four contests, Alvarez will exit the lineup for Thursday's series finale. The Mets will go with Luis Torrens at catcher as they attempt a series sweep.

Mack is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Mack did the catching Wednesday night, so he'll get some rest during Thursday's matinee. Brian Navarreto will handle the catching duties for the Marlins.

Flores is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.

Henry Davis has been Paul Skenes' personal catcher this season, so it will be Davis behind the dish for Skenes' final outing in 2026. Flores went hitless in the first two games of the series.

Kelly is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Kelly started behind the dish in Tuesday's series opener, but he will begin Wednesday's festivities on the bench. Miguel Amaya will do the catching an occupy the No. 9 spot in the Cubs' lineup.

Stephenson is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Atlanta.

It's a routine day off for Stephenson, who had started the last six games for the Reds. It will be Will Banfield doing the catching on Wednesday.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday in a 7-0 win against the Padres.

Smith put the finishing touch on a dominant Dodgers win with his solo blast to left field in the seventh inning. The backstop has gone deep in each of his past three starts. Smith missed nearly three months due to a neck issue, and he initially struggled upon returning to action Sept. 1. However, he's perked up with the bat of late, going 7-for-18 with three homers, a double, four runs and five RBI across his past five games.

The Cardinals believe Bernal can be "an everyday, workhorse catcher," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and are giving him a heavy workload down the stretch to prepare him to be the everyday catcher in 2027.

Bernal has started all 19 games since being promoted Sept. 1, including 13 starts at catcher. The 22-year-old rookie has slashed .299/.341/.494 with four home runs and 17 RBI and has also drawn rave reviews for his work with the pitching staff. St. Louis is overloaded with catching depth, but it's become clear that it sees Bernal opening 2027 at the top of the depth chart at the position. Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, Jimmy Crooks and eventually Rainiel Rodriguez are also in the mix at catcher for the Cardinals, though they could move Herrera off the position permanently at some point.

Moreno went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-2 win over Colorado.

Moreno delivered one run on a single during the team's three-run first inning. He later had a sacrifice fly to knock in another. The two RBI put him at a career-high 77 over 126 games in what has been a breakout season for the 26-year-old catcher. Most of the breakout has happened during the second half, as Moreno sports a .312/.383/.529 slash line with nine home runs, 19 doubles and 45 RBI across 57 contests since the All-Star break.

Alvarez is starting at DH for Tuesday's matchup against Texas, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

After recording back-to-back multi-hit games against the Phillies, Alvarez will slot in as designated hitter for Tuesday's series opener against the Rangers. Luis Torrens will catch and bat ninth for the Mets while Alvarez bats seventh.