MLB Player News

Perez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Perez started behind the plate in each of the Bucs' first three games, going 3-for-10 with two walks and two runs. He looks to be the Pirates' clear No. 1 backstop, though he'll still likely be subject to at least one or two days off per week. Andrew Knapp will replace Perez in the lineup for the first time in 2022, catching for Zach Thompson in the series finale in St. Louis.

Jansen went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rangers.

That's now two starts and two homers to begin the season for Jansen, who is looking to prove he deserves the bulk of the work behind the plate even with Alejandro Kirk on the roster as well. Jansen's power has never been in question, only his ability to get to it in games, but if he can improve on his career .215 batting average, a breakout campaign could follow.

Knizner will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Pirates, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals are wrapping up their season-opening series against Pittsburgh with a game that begins at 2:15 p.m. ET, so Knizner will check in behind the dish as manager Oliver Marmol looks to extend a breather to top backstop Yadier Molina. Knizer went unused over the Cardinals' first three games while Molina started each time.

Heim went 2-for-3 with home run, three RBI and a second run scored in Sunday's 12-6 win over the Blue Jays.

Heim extended the Rangers' three-run lead in the seventh inning with a two-run homer. He made his second consecutive start behind the dish, as primary backstop Mitch Garver, who sat Saturday's day game following a Friday night game, served as the designated hitter Sunday. Texas manager Chris Woodward said during spring training that he will manage Garver's workload by having him play first base and DH. That suggests Heim's in line for a healthy dose of starts, although the young catcher had a mere .583 OPS over 326 career MLB plate appearances in 2020 and 2021.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Dodgers.

Diaz had a towering flyball knocked down by the wind in the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday, but he hit a line drive in the bottom of the seventh that resulted in a two-run homer. The 31-year-old already has two extra-base hits in his first three appearances of the season and has value as a catcher at Coors Field after he hit a career-high 18 home runs last year.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

D'Arnaud has enjoyed a productive big-league career, and he may in time become the answer to a trivia question as a result of this particular homer, as it was the first allowed by Hunter Greene at the highest level. As Atlanta's No. 1 catching option, d'Arnaud has been behind the plate for three of the team's four games so far, batting either seventh or eighth.

Stephenson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's win in Atlanta.

Stephenson got himself on the board with a fifth-inning long ball off Sean Newcomb. The backstop is looking to build on his strong 2021 campaign, and he's off to a nice start -- he's batting .300 in the early going. Stephenson has hit fifth in the order in all three games he's started so far.

Godoy will report to Triple-A St. Paul after going unclaimed on waivers Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Godoy was designated for assignment last week but will remain in the organization since he wasn't claimed on waivers. The 27-year-old made his big-league debut with Seattle last year and hit .162/.225/.189 in 40 plate appearances.

Higashioka is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Higashioka will receive a rest day for the series finale after going 1-for-7 with two strikeouts over the first two games of the season. Jose Trevino will work behind the plate in his place Sunday.

Stassi is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 31-year-old started behind the plate Opening Day for the Halos, but he and Kurt Suzuki have now alternated starts through the first four games of the season. Stassi should work as the Angels' primary catcher in 2022, but he's splitting time with Suzuki early in the campaign.