MLB Player News

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Contreras played a key role in a four-run sixth inning that rallied the Cubs to a 5-4 victory. His one-out double brought home Javier Baez and trimmed the St. Louis lead to 4-2. He then came around to score on David Bote's go-ahead three-run home run. It's been a tough few days for Contreras, who was ejected from Wednesday's game against Cleveland and came into Monday hitless in his last five contests. The streak extended to six games with an 0-for-2 showing in the first half of Monday's doubleheader. The 28-year-old backstop is now batting .231 with a .753 OPS, and both of those figures should continue to climb.

Diaz was placed on the restricted list Monday for a violation of team protocols.

Diaz traveled with the Rockies to Houston for their road trip, but he'll be sidelined for violating team protocols. His absence isn't related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. It's unclear how much time he'll spend on the restricted list, but Tony Wolters and Drew Butera should handle the duties behind the plate in his absence. Right-hander Ashton Goudeau was recalled by the Rockies in a corresponding move.

Mejia (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday.

Mejia was revealed to have a left thumb contusion Monday, and his placement on the injured list will give him extra time to recover while allowing the Padres to add depth at catcher on the 28-man roster. Luis Torrens was recalled in a corresponding move, but Austin Hedges should handle the majority of the duties behind the plate while Mejia is sidelined.

Mejia is dealing with a left thumb contusion Monday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Mejia wasn't in the lineup for Sunday's contest, but he's apparently dealing with an injury. It's unclear when or how he suffered the injury, but the Padres currently only have one other catcher (Austin Hedges) on the active roster. Whether the injury will require a stay on the injured list remains to be seen, but allowing Mejia time to recover would let the Padres add catching depth while he's on the mend. The 24-year-old is off to a slow start this season, hitting just .079 with two extra-base hits, two RBI and nine strikeouts over 16 games.

Caratini is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Cardinals.

Willson Contreras is catching the first game of the twin bill, but he'll presumably be deployed as the Cubs' designated hitter in the nightcap or sit out the contest entirely. As a result, expect Caratini to draw a start in the second game.

Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Angels.

Ruiz's first major-league at-bat was a booming success, as he took Angels starter Julio Teheran deep in the third inning to get the Dodgers on the board. The 22-year-old catcher spent most of 2019 with Double-A Tulsa and also earned time with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He produced a combined .261 batting average with six homers and 34 RBI in the minors last year. Ruiz will share catching duties with Austin Barnes while Will Smith (neck) is unavailable.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Mejia was behind the plate for the first two games of the series, going hitless across seven at-bats. Austin Hedges will check in for him at catcher, working in a battery with starting pitcher Garrett Richards.

Ruiz is starting at catcher and batting ninth against the Angels on Sunday.

It didn't take long for Ruiz to get his first start after earning his first big-league callup Saturday when Will Smith (neck) was placed on the injured list. It's tough to know what to expect from Ruiz, whose prospect star has faded a bit due to less-than-stellar seasons at the Double-A level in 2018 and 2019. Austin Barnes is likely to serve as the Dodgers' primary catcher while Smith remains out, though Ruiz could get a fair amount of playing time considering the team's typical commitment to giving catchers adequate rest.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Barnes had started the past three games in place of Will Smith (neck), who has since been placed on the 10-day injured list. Though Keibert Ruiz will step in to replace him behind the dish in the series finale, Barnes should still see the lion's share of the starts at catcher while Smith is sidelined. Barnes is slashing an underwhelming .250/.286/.350 on the season, but he's been running hot at the plate lately, going 8-for-18 with a home run and a double over his past five games.

Tromp is not in Sunday's lineup against the Athletics.

He is hitting .200 with two home runs, 10 strikeouts and one walk in 30 at-bats this month. Tyler Heineman will start behind the dish and hit seventh.