MLB Player News

Smith will sit Monday against the Pirates, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith's 115 wRC+, the product of a .231/.342/.369 slash line, is good for fourth among catchers with at least 70 plate appearances this season, but the Dodgers have avoided overworking him. His 18 starts behind the plate merely tie him for 11th among all backstops. He'll get a rest Monday, with Austin Barnes taking over behind the plate.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk Sunday against the Reds.

Recalled the prior day, Perez took Tyler Mahle deep in the second inning to record his first homer of the season. While Andrew Knapp is likely to take over as the primary catcher in Pittsburgh, Perez should serve as the backup with Roberto Perez (hamstring) sidelined for a significant period.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Dodgers.

The Cubs are scuffling at just 9-18, but Contreras has played well lately, going 6-for-17 across his last five games with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. He should remain a solid fantasy catcher, though run-producing opportunities may be somewhat limited moving forward if the team continues to struggle as a whole. As it stands, Contreras looks like Chicago's most proven offensive commodity at the moment.

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a homer, four RBI, a stolen base, two walks and a strikeout in Sunday's 9-2 win over the Brewers.

Contreras didn't appear in the last three games but was one of Atlanta's top contributors while starting behind the dish and batting ninth Sunday. The 24-year-old has had sporadic playing time since joining the major-league club, but he has three home runs over five games. While Travis d'Arnaud continues to serve as Atlanta's primary catcher, Contreras' strong results could lead to him remaining the No. 2 backstop once Manny Pina (wrist) is cleared to return.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Perez's strained left hamstring is on the "more severe side of things," suggesting that the catcher could be in store for a long-term stay on the injured list, Josh Rowntree of TribLive.com reports.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds that Perez was spotted walking around the Pittsburgh clubhouse Sunday with the aid of crutches, which seemingly supports Cherington's comments about the veteran backstop being at risk of an extended absence. A clear timeline for Perez's return may not emerge until the results of his MRI are known, but Andrew Knapp is expected to be the first man up to step in as the Pirates' No. 1 catcher. Pittsburgh also called up Michael Perez from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday to add depth behind the plate.

McCann is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Phillies, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

McCann went 0-for-2 during the 3-2 loss in Game 1, and it's not a surprise he won't be starting both ends of the twin bill. Tomas Nido will start behind the plate and bat ninth in the nightcap.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts while catching all nine innings of the Phillies' 3-2 win over the Mets in the afternoon game. He'll get some rest for the nightcap, paving the way for Garrett Stubbs to pick up a start behind the dish.

Stallings is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at San Diego, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Stallings started the past two games and will head to the bench for the series finale Sunday afternoon. Payton Henry will start at catcher in his place.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz started the past three games and will sit for Sunday's day game. Riley Adams will work behind the plate in his place, forming a battery with Erick Fedde.

Bart is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart started the past two games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale. He went 3-for-4 against the Nationals on April 29 but is otherwise hitless in his past 12 games. Curt Casali will work behind the plate and bat ninth in his place.