MLB Player News

Smith is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rockies.

This appears to be a routine night off for Smith, who handled the catching duties in the first two games of the Dodgers' three-game set at Coors Field and drew a trio of walks Wednesday. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat ninth in Thursday's series finale.

Contreras is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets.

Victor Caratini will start behind the plate and bat sixth after Contreras handled catching duties in the first three games of the Brewers' four-game set at Citi Field.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

The Pirates' recent decision to promote top catching prospect Henry Davis hasn't affected Hedges, as the Bucs have instead elected to let the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 First-Year Player Draft get his feet wet in right field and at designated hitter in his first taste of the big leagues. As such, Hedges and Jason Delay have remained the Pirates' top options behind the plate, with the former garnering each of the last three starts at catcher. Hedges will give way to Delay on Thursday while the Pirates and Padres conclude their series with a day game after a night game.

Sanchez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Pittsburgh.

The two teams are playing a day game after a night game, and Sanchez had started five of the last six contests, so he'll understandably get a breather in the series finale. Austin Nola will catch Joe Musgrove on Thursday.

Moreno is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Rays.

Carson Kelly will catch and bat seventh as the Diamondbacks face off against the Rays and right-hander Zach Eflin. Moreno takes a seat after logging two straight starts behind the plate.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Twins.

Atlanta's offense came out of the gate firing, and Murphy's first-inning homer off Joe Ryan was one of five long balls the team hit in its first 10 plate appearances. The catcher is putting the finishing touches on a strong month of June that has seen him slash .300/.340/.500 through 15 games, and on the season Murphy's up to 13 homers and 44 RBI in 60 contests, a pace that would shatter the career highs of 18 home runs and 66 RBI he set last year in Oakland.

Murphy is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Twins.

With a 12:20 p.m. ET start time, it's not surprising to see Murphy get a breather after the night game Tuesday. He was dealing with a hamstring issue last week but avoided an injured list stint, and Atlanta has a strong backup in Travis d'Arnaud to spell Murphy in situations like this.

Ruiz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-4 extra-innings win over the Mariners.

Ruiz forced extra innings with his eighth-inning solo shot. The catcher has hit safely in both games versus the Mariners this week after going 0-for-13 versus the Padres over the weekend. He's homered twice over 18 games in June, and he's up to nine long balls, 28 RBI, 22 runs scored, 10 doubles and a .231/.287/.378 slash line through 65 contests overall.

Realmuto isn't in the Phillies' lineup Tuesday against the Cubs.

After slashing just .176/.300/.176 across his last five games, Realmuto will get a day off Tuesday to regroup. Garrett Stubbs will take Realmuto's place behind the dish and bat ninth.

Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Tuesday against the Brewers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez is 0-for-11 with five strikeouts across his last five games, so he'll take a seat Tuesday in order to regroup. Omar Narvaez will fill in behind the plate and bat ninth against his former squad.