MLB Player News

Mejia will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

He'll be behind the plate for the fourth time in five games, perhaps signaling that he's moved ahead of Mike Zunino on the depth chart at catcher. While Mejia has his shortcomings as a receiver, he's at least made strides in that area so far this season and offers an upgrade over Zunino with the bat. Through his first 39 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, Mejia is slashing .286/.316/.457 with an excellent 7.7 percent strikeout rate.

Contreras is not in Sunday's lineup against the Brewers.

Contreras has started five consecutive games, so he will get a breather Sunday in the series finale with the team squaring off against Brandon Woodruff. Austin Romine will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.

Perez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Perez will get a routine breather after catching in each of Cleveland's last five games. Austin Hedges will spell him behind the plate.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Murphy will retreat to the bench after catching in each of Oakland's last three games, going 2-for-12 at the dish during that span. Aramis Garcia will fill in for Murphy behind the plate.

Jackson will start behind the plate and bat eighth in Sunday's first game against Arizona.

Jackson also started Friday and will be in the lineup for the second straight game after Saturday's contest was postponed due to rain. He'll head to the bench for the later matchup, with Travis d'Arnaud likely retaking the starting role.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.

D'Arnaud has been a near constant in the team's lineup to begin the season, as he's started 15 of the team's 19 games to this point. He'll likely be back behind the dish for the second game of the doubleheader. Alex Jackson will take over at catcher in the early contest.

Atlanta called up Contreras from its alternate site to serve as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader versus Arizona.

He'll be the No. 3 catcher behind Travis d'Arnaud and Alex Jackson for the twin bill, though he won't be guaranteed to pick up a start in either contest. The 23-year-old backstop is expected to head back to the alternate site after the doubleheader in preparation for joining Triple-A Gwinnett for the start of its season next week.

Perez went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and one run scored Saturday against the Twins.

Perez had not gotten his bat going at all entering Saturday's contest, though he was able to notch his first extra-base hits of the campaign against Michael Pineda. That began with a two-RBI double in the second inning. He followed that up with a leadoff home run in the fifth frame. Even after his big day at the dish, Perez is hitting only .190/.320/.381 across 25 plate appearances. He should continue to serve as the team's backup catcher.

Manager Jayce Tingler said "it's realistic" that Nola could return for the team's upcoming series against Arizona, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola has been participating in games at the team's alternate site since April 20. He's missed the entirety of the regular season to this point, though he figures to take over behind the plate so long as he can manage the pain in his finger. Nola's return will cut into the role of both Luis Campusano -- who has served as the team's backup catcher -- and Victor Caratini.

Jansen isn't starting Saturday's game against the Rays.

Jansen went hitless with a run, one walk and two strikeouts across the last three games. Alejandro Kirk takes over behind the plate, batting eighth.