MLB Player News

Murphy is not in Atlanta's lineup for Monday's game in St. Louis.

Murphy has now started just two of his team's first four games, while Travis d'Arnaud has started all four (two at designated hitter). D'Arnaud is off to a 6-for-13 start and Murphy is hitless in eight plate appearances, so manager Brian Snitker seems to be just riding the hot hand here.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Jason Delay will step in behind the dish while Hedges rests Monday. Hedges started at catcher in all three games of the Pirates' season-opening series with the Reds, going 0-for-7 with a walk and a run scored.

Contreras (knee) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Contreras looked to be in considerable pain and potentially headed for a trip to the injured list after taking a 102.7 mile-per-hour pitch to his right knee in Thursday's season opener, but he ended up missing just one game. He was back behind the plate Sunday and caught all nine innings while producing on the offensive end, alleviating any concern fantasy managers may have had about his status heading into the Cardinals' upcoming six-game week.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to Arizona.

Smith sat out Saturday's contest but was back behind the plate Sunday, batting out of the No. 3 slot. He produced the Dodgers' only run of the game with his first-inning solo shot off Zach Davies. Smith is off to a strong start to the campaign, starting in three of Los Angeles' first four contests and posting a .455/.500/.818 slash line with the home run, five RBI and a 2:2 B:K over 14 plate appearances.

Perez will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Perez has now started behind the dish in three of the Giants' first four games of the season, and he'll likely remain the team's preferred option behind the dish for the foreseeable future after Joey Bart (back) was moved to the injured list over the weekend. The Giants have Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol on hand as another option at catcher, but he should see the bulk of his action in left field while Mitch Haniger (oblique) is on the shelf. Perez has gone 1-for-6 with four strikeouts through his first two games and is a career .207/.298/.359 hitter (77 wRC+) over parts of 10 seasons in the majors, so he likely won't be anything more than a low-end No. 2 option in leagues that start two catchers while he's receiving steady plate appearances.

Stubbs went 0-for-1 and caught an inning behind the plate in Saturday's 16-3 loss to the Rangers.

Stubbs' status for Opening Day initially appeared to be in some doubt after he experienced right knee irritation earlier in March during a stint with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, but he was able to erase any concerns about his health by catching six innings in the Phillies' exhibition finale last Tuesday. He ended up making his season debut Saturday, but that was only because starting catcher J.T. Realmuto was pulled from the game early due to the Phillies trailing by 10 runs.

Moreno is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Moreno started behind the plate in the first three games of the season and will receive a breather Sunday after he went 2-for-9 with a double and an RBI. Jose Herrera will start at catcher and bat ninth in the series finale.

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

Brian Serven will draw the nod behind the dish after Diaz caught each of the Rockies' first three games of the season. Diaz went 2-for-12 with a double and a walk across those three contests.

Bart was diagnosed with a mid-back strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to March 31.

The 26-year-old was scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday but was scratched with the back injury, and he will now be sidelined until at least April 11. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Bart may require only the 10-day minimum on the shelf, so he could return when first eligible. In the meantime, Roberto Perez and Blake Sabol should split catching duties for the Giants.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Contreras started behind the plate in his first two games with Milwaukee and will get a breather after he went 2-for-8 with two RBI and four strikeouts. Victor Caratini will step in at catcher for the series finale in Chicago.