MLB Player News

Gallagher will start at catcher and bat ninth Tuesday against the Cardinals.

The Royals will give top backstop Salvador Perez a day out of the field and deploy him at designated hitter, opening up catching duties for Gallagher for the first time all season. Perez is expected to handle one of the bigger workloads among all No. 1 catchers this season, so Gallagher may struggle to get more than one start even in seven-game weeks when Perez is healthy.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with an RBI fielder's choice, a triple, a hit-by-pitch and a run in a win over the Rays on Monday.

Murphy has followed up an impressive spring at the plate with just two hits in his first 18 plate appearances; however, both knocks have gone for extra bases, as the backstop also laced a double Opening Day against the Phillies. The 27-year-old has also struck out on six occasions, however, whiffing at least once in each of the Athletics' first four games.

Stassi went 1-for-1 with three walks and scored twice in a 6-2 win over Miami on Monday.

Stassi helped ignite the Angels' offense by getting on base in each of his four plate appearances. The backstop entered the contest having gone 1-for-6 on the season but boosted his OBP to .500 with the patient performance Monday. Stassi has started behind the plate in three of the team's first five contests to begin the campaign.

Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Contreras made the Opening Day roster, as Atlanta needed a third option behind the plate while Manny Pina battled a minor wrist issue. Pina made his season debut Monday, so Contreras is no longer needed.

Amaya (elbow) won't catch this season, but he may be able to DH by midsummer, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

He had Tommy John surgery in November, which is why he won't be catching. However, as a position player, he won't require the typical 14-to-16 months to return to game action. He should be a full go as a catcher in 2023.

Tromp was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Tuesday.

Tromp owns a 64 wRC+ in 33 career major-league games and is behind three other catchers on Atlanta's organizational depth chart. It's no surprise that he'll be the one to make way on the 40-man roster for Bryce Elder, whose contract was selected ahead of his MLB debut.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The Mariners have rolled out a three-man rotation at catcher to begin the season, with Raleigh and Luis Torrens both picking up two turns behind the plate while Tom Murphy has started once. Raleigh's superior defense might be enough to give him the edge over Torrens as the nominal No. 1 option, but the 25-year-old backstop may need to show some improvement at the plate to maintain his spot atop the depth chart. Through his first 154 plate appearances in the big leagues, Raleigh is slashing .182/.234/.308 with a 35.1 percent strikeout rate.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

The quick turnaround for Tuesday's 1:10 p.m. ET first pitch in addition to Boston starting a lefty (Rich Hill) likely explains why Barnhart -- a switch-hitter who is more comfortable batting from the left side -- is taking a seat. Dustin Garneau will fill in behind the dish for Barnhart, who has only produced one hit through nine plate appearances but has been masterful in guiding the Tigers' young pitching staff. Barnhart's game-calling savvy was a key reason why right-hander Matt Manning delivered the best start of his young career in Monday's 3-1 win.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 5-4 win over the Mets.

The backstop supplied the biggest blow in a five-run rally by the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth inning. Realmuto has had a bit of a slow start to April -- Monday's hit was only his second in 13 at-bats -- but he still figures to be the top fantasy catcher in the league by season's end.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

He'll sit for the second time in three games, likely due to the early start time (1:10 p.m. ET) for Tuesday's contest. Kevin Plawecki will check in behind the dish for Vazquez, who is off to a 2-for-10 start to the season and has yet to produce any counting statistics.