MLB Player News

Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Tigers.

After going 2-for-5 with two RBI in a losing effort during Game 1, Alvarez will get a breather while Omar Narvaez starts behind the dish and bats seventh in the nightcap.

Maldonado isn't in the White Sox's lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Maldonado remains hitless through his first 11 at-bats of the season, and he will get a day off Thursday as Korey Lee starts behind the plate and bats ninth.

The Cardinals recalled Pages from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

With Willson Contreras (hand) unavailable for Thursday's home opener versus Miami, Pages will come up from the minors to give the Cardinals depth at catcher behind Ivan Herrera. Pages slashed .240/.367/.440 across 30 plate appearances during spring training and will be making his MLB debut once he gets into a game. Matt Carpenter (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Herrera will start at catcher and bat cleanup in Thursday's game against the Marlins.

Herrera will pick up his second straight start behind the plate in Thursday's home opener. Both Herrera and top backstop Willson Contreras -- who served as the Cardinals' designated hitter -- were included in the lineup in Wednesday's loss to the Padres, but Contreras was hit by a pitch in left hand during the contest and is dealing with swelling a day later. Contreras is scheduled to undergo X-rays later Thursday as the Cardinals look to assess whether he's dealing with anything more than inflammation and soreness. For now, Contreras is being viewed as day-to-day, but Herrera could be in line for an extended run as the Cardinals' primary catcher if Contreras' injury is significant enough to force him to the injured list.

Contreras (hand) won't be in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said the team isn't yet at the point of needing to add another catcher to the 26-man active roster, but he didn't rule it out in the future. Contreras was hit in the left hand by a pitch in Wednesday's loss to San Diego, and the Cardinals are still waiting for swelling in the hand to go down before he can undergo X-rays. If Contreras has to miss time, Ivan Herrera would be in line to serve as St. Louis' primary catcher, and Pedro Pages would likely be recalled from Triple-A Memphis.

Perez went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

Perez had RBI singles in his first two at-bats of the game. The catcher has racked up nine hits over the last four contests, and he's added eight RBI in that span. He was a little quiet to start the season, but it's taken little time for him to get into form. Perez looks set to see a near everyday role between catcher, designated hitter and first base, and he's batted cleanup in every game so far.

Adams will start at catcher and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Much of Adams' playing time comes versus left-handers, and he will face southpaw Martin Perez on Thursday while Keibert Ruiz rests. Adams put up a .960 OPS in 76 plate appearances against lefties in 2023.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

The Marlins continue to embrace a timeshare behind the plate, as Fortes and Christian Bethancourt have now made four starts apiece at catcher through Miami's first eight games. One of the two catchers may separate himself from the other from a performance standpoint and eventually emerge as the clear No. 1 option, but Fortes hasn't done much to distinguish himself thus far. Through his first four starts, Fortes has gone 1-for-12 with a double and also reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

Ruiz is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Pirates.

He will give way to Riley Adams behind the plate in the series finale. Ruiz will sometimes serve as the Nationals' designated hitter on days he doesn't catch, but it looks like he'll receive a full day off Thursday.

Contreras is dealing with lingering swelling in his left hand but has yet to undergo imaging ahead of Thursday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras stayed in the game in Wednesday after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, drawing a walk in his final plate appearance in the eighth. His hand remains swollen, however, and there would seem to be a good chance he'll be held out of the lineup for Thursday's home opener. If Contreras unable to go, Ivan Herrera would do the catching for the Cardinals.