MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Giants.

Smith's lone at-bat came in the ninth inning after he entered as a defensive replacement for Austin Barnes. Smith's homer cut the deficit to one run, but the Dodgers couldn't muster anything else against Giants reliever Trevor Gott. It's been a fairly even timeshare behind the dish between Smith and Barnes to start 2020, which can make both of them frustrating to roster in one-catcher formats.

Gomes isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Although manager Dave Martinez said in March that he expected Gomes to play four or five times per week this season, he hasn't been in the lineup in either of the Nationals' two games this season. Kurt Suzuki will once again start behind the plate and bat sixth. Suzuki has historically been the better hitter of the two, and the team appears to be favoring that trait over Gomes' defensive abilities over the first couple games.

Mejia isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Mejia got the nod at catcher for the Padres' Opening Day contest, but he'll sit out after going 0-for-2 on Friday. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate Saturday, batting eighth. The two are expected to split time in some way this season, although their exact usage remains to be seen.

Barnhart was placed on the three-day paternity list Saturday.

Barnhart wasn't in the Reds' Opening Day lineup in favor of Curt Casali, and he'll now miss a few more days after being placed on the paternity list. Casali and Kyle Farmer should handle the catching duties in Barnhart's absence.

Smith isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Giants, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Smith logged two RBI and two walks in Friday's win against the Giants, but he'll sit for the second time in the first three games Saturday. Austin Barnes will handle the catching duties, batting ninth.

Caratini is the starting catcher and batting seventh in Saturday's game against the Brewers.

After serving as the designated hitter in Friday's opener, Caratini moves behind the plate to serve as Yu Darvish's personal catcher, while Willson Contreras flips spots with him. It's encouraging to see Caratini start on consecutive days to begin the season, and it seems that he and Contreras could alternate between catching and serving as DH throughout the 60-game season to keep both players fresh.

Contreras is the designated hitter and batting fifth in Saturday's game against the Brewers.

In Friday's season opener, Contreras started at catcher while Victor Caratini served as DH. The two are simply flipping roles Saturday, and the Cubs could do this regularly throughout the season to keep both players in the lineup while limiting their time behind the plate.

Barrera was suspended 80 games Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Barrera wasn't expected to serve on the Nationals' major-league roster this season, but he'll be forced to sit out the entire 2020 campaign and part of next season. The catcher played most of the 2019 season with Double-A Harrisburg, where he hit .249/.323/.381 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.

Mejia started at catcher in Friday's win over Arizona, batting eighth in the lineup and going 0-for-2.

The Padres have been mostly vague about how they will divide playing time behind the plate between Mejia and Austin Hedges this season, so the decision to give Mejia the Opening Day start shouldn't be over-analyzed. Still, Hedges caught most of Chris Paddack's starts last year, thus Mejia's presence in the lineup Friday comes as a bit of a surprise. For what it's worth, Hedges came into the game to play defense after Mejia was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and the team has yet to announce which of the backstops will be in the lineup for Saturday's contest.

Stallings will not start Saturday's matinee against St. Louis, manager Derek Shelton said during his post-game media conference on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Shelton said it wouldn't be fair to ask Stallings to catch in a day game following a night game. The backstop went 1-for-3 with a two-run single off Cardinals' starter, Jack Flaherty. John Ryan Murphy will serve as the team's catcher for Trevor Williams.