MLB Player News

Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Maldonado will pick up his ninth start in 14 games and seems to have at least moved into a timeshare behind the plate with Elias Diaz. The two backstops have produced at a similar level offensively -- Maldonado owns a .572 OPS compared to Diaz's .592 mark -- but Maldonado is regarded as the superior pitch framer of the two. Unless Diaz picks up the pace at the plate to separate himself from Maldonado from a performance standpoint, the playing time could tilt in the latter's favor.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Diaz was responsible for the only scoring in Tuesday's 2-0 win when he popped a two-run home run in the second inning, but that has been one of the few highlights for the veteran backstop this season. He's hitting just .190/.306/.286 over 50 plate appearances, and Diaz's poor production has resulted in him moving into more of a timeshare with Martin Maldonado behind the plate. Maldonado will pick up the start Wednesday and has now been included in the lineup in nine of the Padres' last 14 games.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Alvarez (hand) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday against the Nationals, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Alvarez will play one more rehab game with Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, and as long as he gets through that without any hiccups, he'll be activated Friday and likely in the lineup for the series opener versus the Nationals. The catcher is 7-for-35 with one home run in his first nine rehab contests. Alvarez is coming back from surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

With lefty Carlos Rodon on the hill for the Yankees in a day game after a night game, the left-handed-hitting Naylor will receive a breather. Austin Hedges will handle the catching duties for Cleveland on Wednesday.

Ramirez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Ramirez started the first two games of the series and went 5-for-6 with three doubles, one RBI and a stolen base. He'll get a breather for Wednesday's matinee. Liam Hicks will do the catching and bat seventh for the Marlins.

Pages is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Atlanta.

After catching each of the first two games of the series, Pages will grab a seat for Wednesday's matinee. Yohel Pozo is behind the dish and batting seventh for the Cardinals in the series finale.

Trevino is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Miami.

Trevino caught each of the first two games of the three-game set, so he's earned a breather for Wednesday's finale. Austin Wynns is behind the plate and batting ninth for the Reds.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cardinals.

Murphy caught both of the first two games of the series but will receive a day off for Wednesday's matinee. Drake Baldwin will start behind the plate and bat sixth for Atlanta.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Murphy got Atlanta on the board with a solo blast in the fourth. It was Murphy's sixth big blast of the season in just his 12th game, and he currently leads the team in home runs. Murphy's batting average continues to hover around the Mendoza Line and currently sits at .209, but he's made up for it so far with his power and sports a .948 OPS.

Manager Will Venable said Tuesday that the swelling in Lee's ankle is nearly entirely gone, MLB.com reports.

Lee has been on the injured list since April 10 due to a left ankle sprain. It's unclear what the next steps in his recovery will be, or how quickly he can return. Lee was already stuck in a backup role prior to Edgar Quero's promotion, so his spot on the big-league roster could be in jeopardy once healthy.