MLB Player News

Murphy is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He started Game 1 but will be on the bench in favor of Travis d'Arnaud for the second contest in a row. Murphy was hitless in three at-bats in the series opener after putting up a lowly .451 OPS in the second half.

Diaz will start at designated hitter in Game 3 of the ALDS versus the Twins on Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz had an excellent rookie season for the Astros but has been limited to one pinch-hitting appearance in the first two games of the ALDS. Presumably, his start in Game 3 will come at the expense of Michael Brantley, with Yordan Alvarez playing left field.

D'Arnaud will start at catcher and bat sixth Monday in Game 2 of the NLDS versus the Phillies.

Sean Murphy got the call behind the dish in the Game 1 loss, but Atlanta will turn to d'Arnaud in Game 2 as they look to even the series. For what it's worth, d'Arnaud is 8-for-21 with one home run in 23 career plate appearances against Philadelphia's Game 2 starter, Zack Wheeler.

Murphy is not in the lineup for Monday's Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

Murphy went hitless in Atlanta's Game 1 loss and will begin the second game of the series on the bench. Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching for Max Fried, who is making his first start since Sept. 21 after missing the tail end of the regular season with a blister on his left index finger. Murphy and d'Arnaud split catching duties in fairly equitable fashion after the All-Star break, so it's not a surprise to see both of them garner a start in the first two games of the NLDS.

Moreno (head) is starting at catcher and batting fifth Saturday against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Moreno made an early exit from Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series after getting hit in the head by a backswing, but he never had to enter concussion protocol and has been deemed fit to start the NLDS opener. Moreno went 1-for-5 with a homer and a walk during the D-backs' two-game sweep of the Brewers.

Moreno (head) is expected to start at catcher for the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday versus the Dodgers, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports.

Moreno was removed from Arizona's NL Wild Card Series clincher Wednesday in Milwaukee after getting hit in the head by a backswing, but he's been cleared of a concussion and will get a couple days off before the best-of-five NLDS begins Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The 23-year-old hit a solo home run as part of the Diamondbacks' NL Wild Card Series Game 1 win Tuesday.

Moreno was removed from Game 2 of the Diamondbacks' NL Wild Card Series matchup against Milwaukee on Wednesday after being hit in the head on a backswing, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Moreno was initially able to remain in the game after taking Brice Turang's backswing to the head in the second inning, but he was later replaced behind the dish by Jose Herrera in the third. Moreno will presumably undergo further testing, and the D-backs should have an update on his status in the near future.

Collins elected to become a free agent Tuesday.

The 28-year-old catcher played in only two major-league games this season with the Guardians and heads to the open market with a career .188/.300/.329 batting line across 465 total plate appearances at baseball's highest level.

Stallings is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday versus the Phillies.

Nick Fortes started behind the plate in Game 1 on Tuesday and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as the Marlins lost 4-1. Stallings will get the nod Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park with Miami trying to avoid elimination in the best-of-three series.

Vazquez is absent from the lineup Wednesday for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series versus the Blue Jays.

Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers basically alternated starts at catcher during the regular season, but it's been Jeffers behind the plate for each of the first two games of the postseason. The only tweak the Twins made in their lineup from Game 1 to Game 2 was flip-flopping Jeffers and Matt Wallner in the batting order, with the former moving down to eighth and the latter up to seventh.