MLB Player News

Kelly is starting at catcher and batting eighth in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Kelly received a breather Tuesday but will return to the lineup Wednesday, sending Miguel Amaya to the bench. While Amaya has been effective with a .278 average and .798 OPS across 15 games, Kelly has been even better with a .371 average and 1.511 OPS in 13 appearances. As a result of the hot start, Kelly has seen his role grow, though Chicago will likely keep using both backstops fairly evenly.

Moreno is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rays.

It's a routine day off for Moreno, who is off to a poor .222/.323/.241 start at the plate this season. Jose Herrera is doing the catching and batting ninth for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Wong (finger) will likely begin a rehab assignment this weekend, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Working his way back from a fractured left pinky finger suffered in early April, Wong is able to catch without issue but still has some progress to make while swinging the bat. If the catcher is indeed able to begin playing in rehab games this weekend, he could return from the 10-day injured list at some point next week.

Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith homered and reached base three times in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Cubs, but he'll get a breather in Wednesday's series finale. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth for the Dodgers.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Narvaez will get a breather after he started in nine of Boston's last 10 games. Blake Sabol will handle the catching duties Wednesday in Narvaez's stead.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Stallings had started at catcher in four of the Rockies' last six games, with his surge in playing time coming shortly after Colorado placed Kris Bryant (back) on the injured list, which has allowed Hunter Goodman to see more starts at designated hitter. Goodman will be back behind the dish Wednesday, so Stallings will head to the bench while Nick Martini steps in as Colorado's DH.

Hicks will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Though Hicks is back behind the dish for the series finale, his recent run as the Marlins' primary backstop seems to have come to an end after Miami promoted Agustin Ramirez from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday. If Ramirez performs well enough to earn a permanent stay in Miami, Hicks -- a Rule 5 selection -- could end up being offered back to Tigers if the Marlins don't have a spot on the roster for him once Nick Fortes (oblique) returns from the injured list.

Torrens is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Torrens will take a seat for the day game after a night game, paving the way for Hayden Senger to pick up a start behind the dish. Though he's been operating as the Mets' primary backstop this season, Torrens' playing time will soon take a hit with Francisco Alvarez (hand) poised to return from the 10-day injured list this weekend.

Serven (oblique) has gone 6-for-19 with a double, a stolen base, six RBI and two runs in four games since being activated from Triple-A Toledo's 7-day injured list April 15

Serven suffered a left oblique strain in early March that ended any hopes he had of making the Tigers' Opening Day roster as a backup catcher and also resulted in him beginning the season on the shelf at Triple-A. He was cleared to debut for Toledo after beginning a rehab assignment at Single-A Lakeland on April 4 and appearing in seven games.

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.