MLB Player News

Gomes is out of the lineup Saturday against the Mets.

Gomes sits atop the depth chart at catcher and started Opening Day, but it's likely the Nationals will deploy something close to a 50/50 timeshare behind the plate with Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, who gets the nod Saturday. The arrangement hurts the overall fantasy viability of the two backstops, though both should warrant ownership in leagues that start two catchers each week.

Barnes isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Arizona, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barnes collected three hits including a home run in Thursday's season opener, but he'll head to the bench Friday. Russell Martin will draw the start behind the dish in his absence.

Barnes went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in the Dodgers' 12-5 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Barnes carried his hot hitting from spring training over into Opening Day, touching up Arizona starter Zack Greinke with a fourth-inning solo shot as part of his three-hit day. Barnes had a tough year at the plate last year with a paltry .619 OPS over 200 at-bats, but he's looking locked in thus far in 2019. Pedro Moura of The Athletic reported that manager Dave Roberts said he expects Barnes to get at least 60 percent of the starts behind the dish, with the rest of those starts set to go to veteran Russell Martin.

The Pirates officially placed Diaz (illness) on the 10-day injured list prior to Thursday's game against the Reds.

The transaction was set in motion several weeks ago when the Pirates ruled Diaz out for Opening Day while he remained away from the team to recover from a viral illness. Diaz has since shaken the illness and is expected to participate in simulated games or embark on a minor-league rehab assignment by the end of next week. That could put Diaz on track to return from the IL around mid-April.

Murphy will not be on the Giants' Opening Day roster, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Murphy was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Monday, so there wasn't a significant opportunity to show his worth to the team. The 27-year-old is out of minor-league options, so he'll need to clear waivers before receiving further assignment. Murphy slashed .226/.250/.387 with 44 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances with the Rockies in 2018.

Knizner was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday.

Knizner entered spring training with a chance to compete for backup duties to Yadier Molina, but those odds took a hit when the Cardinals signed Matt Wieters in late February. The 24-year-old had a .313/.368/.430 slash line between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018.

Diaz (illness) will open the 2019 campaign on the injured list, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

He missed the entire Grapefruit League due to a viral infection. Pittsburgh is confident in backup Jacob Stallings, but Diaz represents an appreciable offensive upgrade over Stallings. Diaz has been working out and taking part in simulated games, but he likely won't return until the middle of April, at the earliest.

D'Arnaud (elbow) will be placed on the injured list at the start of the season, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

D'Arnaud is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he was able to play in some spring games, so his absence may not be a long one. Tomas Nido will back up Wilson Ramos in d'Arnaud's absence.

Mejia will be included on the Padres' Opening Day roster, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Mejia earned himself a spot on the team's Opening Day roster thanks to an impressive showing in spring; across 18 Cactus League games, the backstop slashed .348/.375/.630 with three homers and 14 RBI. He figures to open the season as the backup behind the dish to Austin Hedges, though the 23-year-old could force his way into the lineup more regularly if he carries his success from spring into the regular season.

Barnhart went 1-for-3 in the Reds' loss to the Braves on Monday and will finish spring training hitting .135/.256/.243, as he's not in the lineup Tuesday.

Barnhart is frequently drafted as a "can't hurt you" second catcher in two-catcher leagues. He did draw six walks in his 43 plate appearances, but had just five hits all spring. He struck out 12 times, good for a 28 percent strikeout percentage, well above his career norms. All of this comes with the obvious caution that it's a small sample, and a spring training one at that.