MLB Player News

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Barnhart will head to the bench for what appears to be a regular night off with a day game on tap Wednesday. The 27-year-old is hitting .247/.357/.376 with two homers through 30 games this season. Devin Mesoraco will start behind the dish and hit seventh in his stead.

Mejia was removed from Tuesday's game with Triple-A Columbus after being hit by a pitch on the left forearm, John Wagner of The Toledo Blade reports.

Mejia initially remained in the game after taking a pitch off his forearm in the top of the eighth inning, but he was replaced behind the dish prior to the bottom half of the frame. He'll undergo further evaluation Wednesday.

Caratini went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Marlins.

Caratini started at first base in this one, something he's now done five times this season. The 24-year-old is the primary backup to Willson Contreras behind the plate, but his ability to play first is getting him a little added playing time. Caratini is now hitting .292 through 48 at-bats.

Garver is not in the lineup Monday against the Cardinals, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Garver was expected to handle the bulk of catching duties with Jason Castro (knee) on the disabled list, but he'll head to the bench for a second straight game while Bobby Wilson picks up another start behind the dish Monday. It's unclear if Garver is dealing with an injury or if the Twins expect to proceed with Wilson as their primary backstop until Castro is healthy, but it may be something worth monitoring. The 27-year-old is hitting .250/.302/.450 with two homers through 43 plate appearances this season.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with two walks, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Reds.

The catcher is the latest player to get a look at the top of the Marlins' order, and while Realmuto's .326 career OBP isn't ideal for a leadoff hitter, his .328/.406/.557 slash line through 16 games to begin 2018 makes him one of the few viable candidates available to manager Don Mattingly. If Realmuto sticks in the role, he'll have a chance to top last season's career-best 68 runs, even in an offense as weak as Miami's.

Perez went 0-for-3 in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Boston.

Perez was claimed off waivers late last week and made his Rangers' debut against Chris Sale, one of the toughest left-handers in the game. There's little in Perez's offensive track record to excite fantasy owners, so even against pitchers not in the same class as Sale, we're not expecting much production.

Barnhart went 2-for-4 during Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Marlins.

Barnhart recorded his first multi-hit performance since April 17 against Milwaukee. He's batting .236 with seven extra-base hits and 17 walks in 29 games this season.

Leon went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and a run scored Sunday against the Rangers.

Leon is off to a slow start this season, but he was able to increase his batting average from .111 to .154 after recording two hits Sunday. He also delivered his first long ball of the season in the sixth inning, a three-run blast that put the Red Sox up 5-0. Leon will look to build off this success moving forward, although he figures to see inconsistent playing time as the team's No. 2 backstop.

Contreras will bat leadoff for the Cubs on Sunday against the Cardinals.

This will be the third time in his career that Contreras has batted atop the order and marks the fifth different leadoff man Joe Maddon has used this year, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. Though six players on the Chicago roster have an on-base percentage greater than Contreras' .328 mark entering Sunday, he's seen success batting first in the past, as the backstop is 3-for-9 with a home run in his two previous games leading off.

Sanchez was recently placed on the 7-day disabled list at Triple-A Sacramento due to a concussion, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sanchez missed time last season due to a concussion and had seen his development stall a bit earlier in his career in part because of head injuries, so expect the Giants to proceed cautiously with the backstop before clearing him to resume working behind the plate. The Giants signed veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan to offer depth for the Triple-A club while Sanchez is sidelined.