MLB Player News

Barrera was suspended 80 games Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Barrera wasn't expected to serve on the Nationals' major-league roster this season, but he'll be forced to sit out the entire 2020 campaign and part of next season. The catcher played most of the 2019 season with Double-A Harrisburg, where he hit .249/.323/.381 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.

Vazquez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Although Vazquez had a dominant stat line in the team's Opening Day win Friday, manager Ron Roenicke elected to exclude him from the starting lineup for Saturday's day game to prevent any injuries during the shortened season. Kevin Plawecki will start behind the dish Saturday, batting eighth.

Grandal is not in the lineup Saturday against the Twins.

Grandal will get a day off Saturday in a day game following Friday's night game, likely to preserve his long-term health. James McCann will start at catcher, batting eighth.

Vazquez went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 13-2 win over the Orioles.

Vazquez slotted in at sixth in the batting order, which was his primary slot in 2019, when he posted career highs in home runs (23) and OPS (.798). While it looks like he's trending up as a hitter, Vazquez has been up and down since becoming Boston's primary catcher.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-2 win over Seattle.

Maldonado helped pick up the lineup that didn't get much output from its top stars -- George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa went a combined 3-for-17. As a career .219, Maldonado is not expected to carry much of the offense on this stacked roster.

Mejia started at catcher in Friday's win over Arizona, batting eighth in the lineup and going 0-for-2.

The Padres have been mostly vague about how they will divide playing time behind the plate between Mejia and Austin Hedges this season, so the decision to give Mejia the Opening Day start shouldn't be over-analyzed. Still, Hedges caught most of Chris Paddack's starts last year, thus Mejia's presence in the lineup Friday comes as a bit of a surprise. For what it's worth, Hedges came into the game to play defense after Mejia was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and the team has yet to announce which of the backstops will be in the lineup for Saturday's contest.

Stallings will not start Saturday's matinee against St. Louis, manager Derek Shelton said during his post-game media conference on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Shelton said it wouldn't be fair to ask Stallings to catch in a day game following a night game. The backstop went 1-for-3 with a two-run single off Cardinals' starter, Jack Flaherty. John Ryan Murphy will serve as the team's catcher for Trevor Williams.

Perez went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts during Friday's 2-0 loss against the Indians.

Perez landed on the IL after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, but he recovered in time to start behind the plate in the season debut. In fact, he was only one of four Royals to record a hit in a game where the entire offense struggled. Perez hit for .235 with 27 homers and 80 RBI last season, and he has cleared the 20-homer plateau in each of the past four campaigns.

Murphy (foot) doesn't have a timetable for a return to action, but manager Scott Servais noted Friday the backstop doesn't have to wear a boot, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Servais added that despite suffering from what is officially a fractured left foot, Murphy is only feeling discomfort when getting down in a catcher's squat and putting added pressure on his instep. While it's modestly good news Murphy doesn't appear to be in an overwhelming amount of pain, it could be some time before the fracture heals completely.

Jackson will start in Saturday's contest against the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Jackson started in Friday's season opener with Travis d'Arnaud (illness) and Tyler Flowers (illness) both sidelined, and he went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. However, manager Brian Snitker was impressed with the 24-year-old's defensive performance and said that he'll start once again Saturday. Jackson went hitless in four games with the Braves last season.