MLB Player News

The Cardinals will look to continue giving Herrera consistent playing time even after Willson Contreras (hand) is available to catch, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Contreras hopes to be able to catch this weekend in Arizona after missing four games and then being limited to designated hitter duty in the last two contests. With Lars Nootbaar (ribs) also due back Friday, it creates a bit of a playing time logjam for the Cards. Herrera, though, has earned regular reps, putting up an .875 OPS with three homers and seven RBI in nine games. The 23-year-old should continue to be worth using as a second fantasy catcher as long as he's getting at-bats.

Heim went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 win over Oakland.

Heim singled in the final two runs of the Rangers' three-run first inning, which eventually became the game-winning hit. He's hit safely in eight of 10 starts, going 11-for-42 with three extra-base hits and seven RBI.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a walk in Wednesday's come-from-behind win over the White Sox.

Naylor's two-run shot off Erick Fedde in the bottom of the fourth brought the Guardians back to within two runs of Chicago and came just three at-bats after his older brother Josh's solo home run -- on National Siblings Day. The young catcher then played the role of hero in extra innings, driving home Tyler Freeman with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th as Cleveland improved to 9-3 on the season. Naylor is still batting just .194 following the two-hit performance, though he's now homered in two of his last six games. It also marked his third multi-hit game this month.

Herrera went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

Herrera got the Cardinals on the board with his second-inning homer. He's gone deep twice over the last three games and now has three homers, seven RBI and six runs scored across 34 plate appearances. As long as Willson Contreras (hand) continues to be unable to catch, Herrera is in line for a larger role behind the dish.

Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Toronto.

Raleigh provided the game-deciding blow Wednesday, launching a two-run homer off Tim Mayza in the 10th inning in an eventual 5-1 Seattle win. It's the second homer in three days for Raleigh, though he's gotten off to a slow start overall, going 6-for-36 with four RBI through his first 10 games.

The Nationals optioned Millas to Triple-A Rochester after Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

The 26-year-old was called up ahead of Wednesday's contest and started behind the plate, going 1-for-3 with a bunt single. Millas was only promoted since starting catcher Keibert Ruiz was unavailable due to an illness, and Ruiz will presumably be available for Friday's series opener in Oakland.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

The lefty-hitting McGuire will give way to the righty-hitting Connor Wong behind the plate while southpaw Cole Irvin takes the hill for Baltimore. McGuire still appears to have a firm grasp on the primary catching gig when the Red Sox face right-handed pitching; he's slashing .350/.435/.550 over 23 plate appearances versus righties so far this season.

Wells is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Wells will be on the bench for the second time in the series with Miami, with both of his absences from the lineup coming against left-handed starting pitchers. Jose Trevino will handle the catching duties for the Yankees on Wednesday.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Bethancourt and Nick Fortes have both alternated turns at catcher over the last six games, with both logging three starts apiece. For the season, Bethancourt owns an .050 OPS to Fortes' .229, so neither backstop is doing much to separate himself from the other in the competition for reps behind the plate.

Maile will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Maile will get his fifth start behind the plate in the Reds' 12th game of the season Wednesday while Tyler Stephenson rests. Though Stephenson still appears to be viewed as the Reds' No. 1 catcher, Maile looks like he'll get the chance to start once per series while Cincinnati looks to keep Stephenson fresh for the duration of the campaign.