MLB Player News

Narvaez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.

With the White Sox facing their third left-handed starter in as many days, Narvaez will sit out once again, opening catching duties for Kevan Smith. It appears the two backstops will be stuck in a platoon until further notice, with Narvaez set to receive the majority of the starts as the left-handed hitter.

Hedges is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

Outside of his two-hit game Tuesday night, Hedges has been scuffling at the plate over the past couple weeks, so he'll head to the bench for a day off. Luis Torrens will assume catching duties in his stead.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Andrew Knapp will take over behind the plate to catch for starter Aaron Nola. Rupp is hitless in his last six appearances (0-for-17) and has seen his average fall from .255 to .217 as a result. He does have three homers in May, but his 32.3 percent strikeout rate suggests a big rebound in batting average is unlikely.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto will get what looks like a breather, and it's well deserved -- he has started seven straight, with the last five starts coming on consecutive days. The 26-year-old isn't running as much as he did last year, but he's hitting and getting on base at a high clip, and he's on pace to best his counting totals from a year ago. He's one of the top fantasy options at the catcher position.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Tucker Barnhart will take over behind the plate following back-to-back starts by Mesoraco to open the series. Mesoraco has been scuffling at the plate, going hitless in his last four starts and batting .216/.333/.373 in May, but by all indications he's healthy after a hamstring scare near the middle of the month.

Hedges led the Padres' offense Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI in a 6-2 win over the Cubs.

The 24-year-old broke out of his 10-game slump (.125/.176/.125) in a big way, driving in a career-high four runs while increasing his career high in homers to nine as well. Over the past two seasons, Hedges has shown an ability to dominate Triple-A pitching, only to struggle in the majors. Unsurprisingly, the backstop has provided production right down the middle of his minor- and major-league splits in his first full season as the Padres' starter. If fantasy owners can stomach Hedges' low batting average, his production of nine homers and 25 RBI (second among all catchers) can certainly be enjoyed.

Murphy (forearm) has participated as the DH in back-to-back games in extended spring training, but is not yet catching in games, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

He was in Tuesday's game for five innings as the DH. Murphy will inevitably head out on a rehab assignment once he is able to handle the rigors of catching and hitting for an entire game. Look for him to return to the Rockies in mid June.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Maldy has just four hits over the past seven games, so he'll head to the bench after four straight starts. Juan Graterol will take over behind the dish in his place.

Stewart (hamstring) will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While the injury originally wasn't thought to be anything overly serious, Stewart tried testing it out prior to Tuesday's contest and did not respond well, prompting a trip to the DL. A possible timetable for his return should become clearer following Wednesday's tests. In the meantime, Elias Diaz will serve as the Pirates' backup catcher.

Narvaez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox.

This marks the second game in a row that Narvaez will watch from the bench. Kevan Smith tallied an RBI double in Monday's contest, so he'll pick up the start behind the plate.