MLB Player News

Diaz is not in the lineup for Friday's contest in Kansas City, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz caught all three games of the Astros' previous series against the Blue Jays, so he'll get a breather Friday. Victor Caratini is behind the dish and batting seventh for Houston.

Herrera (knee) hopes to begin a rehab assignment May 1, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Herrera is making good progress in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, having run, hit and caught off a pitching machine this week without any setbacks. He should require only a few rehab games before returning to the Cardinals' lineup.

Perez is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Astros.

It's the first day off this season for Perez, who played both legs of a doubleheader Thursday (one at catcher, one at designated hitter). Freddy Fermin will catch and bat eighth for the Royals in Friday's series opener.

Basallo (hamstring/elbow) is starting at designated hitter Friday for Triple-A Norfolk.

As expected, Basallo is back off the injured list as the DH, with the expectation he will be ready to get back behind the plate in May. He had a .250/.318/.550 slash line with two home runs and four strikeouts in seven games before landing on the IL.

The Twins outrighted Cartaya to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster. Cartaya was acquired via trade from the Dodgers over the offseason and is just 2-for-25 with an 18:4 K:BB in his first 29 plate appearances with St. Paul this season.

The Mets activated Alvarez (hand) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Alvarez is starting at catcher and batting seventh Friday versus the Nationals in what will be his season debut after he missed the first four weeks of the season following surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. The catcher went 7-for-39 with one home run across 10 rehab contests.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Ryan Jeffers will take on a larger role, which will result in fewer starts for Vazquez, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The catching duo has split playing time fairly evenly across the past two seasons, and Jeffers has made 14 starts to Vazquez's 11 early in 2025. The Twins are changing their strategy behind the plate, however, with Vazquez's career .581 OPS with the club finally catching up to him. The veteran backstop still brings plenty of defensive value and is a good fit as a backup catcher, but it should be Jeffers that receives the lion's share of the starts from now on.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Jeffers will operate as more of an everyday catcher going forward, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Jeffers and Christian Vazquez each made 81 starts behind the plate last season, and they've had a fairly even split of playing time early in 2025 with 14 and 11 starts, respectively. Vazquez's continued offensive struggles (career .581 OPS with Minnesota) will finally prompt a strategy change, with Jeffers now poised to operate as more of a clear No. 1 catcher. The 27-year-old hasn't been particularly productive through 67 plate appearances himself with a .254/.343/.339 slash line, but he had a .732 OPS in 2024 and carries more upside than Vazquez.

Narvaez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners.

The backstop cut the Red Sox's deficit to one in the eighth inning with an opposite-field blast off Gabe Speier. It's Narvaez's second homer this year, both of which have come in his last five games. The 26-year-old is slashing .210/.269/.371 with eight runs scored and six RBI through 67 plate appearances this season, though he'll likely be relegated to backup duties soon with Connor Wong (finger) scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend.

Goodman went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Royals. He went 0-for-4 in the nightcap.

The 25-year-old opened the scoring in Thursday's matinee with a two-out, RBI single off Cole Ragans before extending Colorado's lead to 4-2 with a two-run homer in the third, his fourth long ball this season. Goodman saw his eight-game hitting streak end in the nightcap -- he went 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and six RBI in that span. He's been serving as the Rockies' primary catcher this season and is slashing .237/.326/.434 with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored across 86 plate appearances.