MLB Player News

Jeffers went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 7-4 victory over the Royals.

Jeffers got his first start of the season and picked up where he left off from a hot spring training during which he hit three home runs with a .891 OPS. Jeffers will serve as the backup to Christian Vazquez but could get close to half the playing time.

Stubbs went 0-for-1 and caught an inning behind the plate in Saturday's 16-3 loss to the Rangers.

Stubbs' status for Opening Day initially appeared to be in some doubt after he experienced right knee irritation earlier in March during a stint with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, but he was able to erase any concerns about his health by catching six innings in the Phillies' exhibition finale last Tuesday. He ended up making his season debut Saturday, but that was only because starting catcher J.T. Realmuto was pulled from the game early due to the Phillies trailing by 10 runs.

Moreno is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Moreno started behind the plate in the first three games of the season and will receive a breather Sunday after he went 2-for-9 with a double and an RBI. Jose Herrera will start at catcher and bat ninth in the series finale.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Diaz will sit for the second time in four games after previously logging one start apiece at catcher and designated hitter and going hitless with one walk between those two contests. Martin Maldonado is locked in as Houston's primary backstop, but Diaz and Corey Julks could vie for regular reps out of the DH spot while Michael Brantley (shoulder) is on the shelf.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Brian Serven will draw the nod behind the dish after Diaz caught each of the Rockies' first three games of the season. Diaz went 2-for-12 with a double and a walk across those three contests.

Rogers is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Sunday's game against the Rays.

Eric Haase started the first two games of the season behind the plate, but he'll give way to Rogers on Sunday. The latter had a strong spring and could provide a little bit of pop from the catcher position, though he's unlikely to see enough playing time to be much of a fantasy factor at the moment.

Bart was diagnosed with a mid-back strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to March 31.

The 26-year-old was scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday but was scratched with the back injury, and he will now be sidelined until at least April 11. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Bart may require only the 10-day minimum on the shelf, so he could return when first eligible. In the meantime, Roberto Perez and Blake Sabol should split catching duties for the Giants.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Contreras started behind the plate in his first two games with Milwaukee and will get a breather after he went 2-for-8 with two RBI and four strikeouts. Victor Caratini will step in at catcher for the series finale in Chicago.

Contreras (knee) is starting at catcher and batting fifth Sunday against the Blue Jays, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 30-year-old sat out Saturday's matchup with Toronto after he suffered the knee injury during Thursday's season opener, but he was diagnosed with a bruise after being evaluated and will miss only one contest. Contreras made a strong impression in his debut with the Cardinals prior to the injury, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Vazquez caught both of the Twins' first two games of the season, registering a pair of two-hit games. He remains atop the Twins' depth chart at catcher, though he'll get a breather Sunday with Ryan Jeffers getting a turn behind the dish in the series finale.