MLB Player News

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Brewers.

Contreras came into the night with just four hits in his first 21 at-bats of the season, but maybe the three-hit performance will get him going. The young catcher should continue to get ample opportunities from the heart of Chicago's lineup.

Wallach is out of Thursday's lineup against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

He has been the de facto starter while J.T. Realmuto (back) has been on the disabled list, but should be an afterthought in the majority of fantasy formats. Wallach is 2-for-19 at the plate (.105 average) through five games. Bryan Holaday will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Nola cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Nola has spent time at Triple-A in each of the past three seasons, so he is developing a reputation as a career minor leaguer. If the Marlins suffer some injuries at the major-league level this season, he could finally make his big-league debut, but will more likely continue to offer organizational depth at New Orleans.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Thursday against the Nationals, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

With d'Arnaud on the bench for a second straight day, he's now started just twice in the Mets' first six games. While manager Mickey Callaway indicated in spring training that the Mets would deploy more of a timeshare behind the plate in 2018, it was assumed that d'Arnaud, the team's primary starter the past four seasons, would still receive a slight edge in playing time. However, Kevin Plawecki seems to be the favored option at this time and may continue to top the depth chart thanks to his superior on-base skills, which may be more beneficial to the Mets than d'Arnaud's power in the bottom half of the order.

Plawecki will start at catcher and bat seventh Thursday against the Nationals, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

It's the second straight start for Plawecki and his fourth in six games, suggesting that he may have usurped Travis d'Arnaud as the preferred option behind the plate for the time being. Both backstops have been productive offensively this season, but Plawecki's exceptional plate discipline probably gives him a higher floor than d'Arnaud, who has delivered sub-.310 on-base percentages in four of his five big-league campaigns. So long as d'Arnaud stays healthy and his performance doesn't take a major dip, he'll likely see at least two or three starts per week, making it unlikely that Plawecki sees a workload comparable to most No. 1 catchers around the league.

Hedges (back) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

The backstop was scratched from the past two games due to back tightness, but it appears that he's healthy enough to catch once again. Hedges will bat eighth in his return to action.

Stewart was designated for assignment Wednesday.

This leaves the Braves with Kurt Suzuki and Carlos Perez behind the dish while Tyler Flowers (oblique) misses the first month of the season. Stewart will provide organizational depth at Triple-A if he clears waivers.

Stewart is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals.

With Tyler Flowers (oblique) on the disabled list and Kurt Suzuki (hand) not expected back in the lineup until Friday, Stewart has temporarily taken over as the Braves' primary catcher, starting each of the past four contests. Manager Brian Snitker will give Stewart a much-needed rest for the Wednesday afternoon affair, allowing Carlos Perez to make his team debut behind the dish. Assuming Suzuki is ready to go Friday, it appears likely that Stewart will see only a couple of starts per week going forward.

D'Arnaud is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Kevin Plawecki gets his third start through the first five games of the season, as the Mets' backstop situation appears to be more of an even timeshare than some may have expected. D'Arnaud and Plawecki are each hitting above .300 in a tiny sample size, and both have always rated as above-average defensive options according to FanGraphs, so an even playing time split should continue until one player gains separation with his bat.

Hedges (back) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.

Hedges was originally in the lineup, but he was a late scratch for the second straight game as he continues to deal with back tightness. A.J. Ellis will once again step into the lineup in his place, starting at catcher and hitting eighth.