MLB Player News

Murphy (oblique) has yet to resume swinging a bat, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Murphy is a week removed from suffering a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is not feeling well enough yet to be cleared to swing. He is eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list April 9, but it would appear highly unlikely that he will be ready by then. Travis d'Arnaud is filling in at catcher for Atlanta while Murphy is on the shelf.

Stephenson is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

It looks to be a routine day off for the Reds' starting catcher. Luke Maile will be behind the plate Friday while Stephenson gets some rest.

Jansen (wrist) caught two live batting practice sessions and took batting practice of his own on the field Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He's slated to face a high-velocity pitching machine next. The Blue Jays are hoping Jansen will be ready to begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Dunedin on Sunday, when he would catch fellow rehabber Alek Manoah (shoulder). Jansen has been out with a small fracture in his right wrist.

Wells is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Blue Jays.

It's southpaw Yusei Kikuchi on the bump for Toronto, so the left-handed hitting Wells will yield to Jose Trevino at catcher. Wells and Trevino have split catching duties down the middle for the Yankees thus far, drawing four starts apiece.

Herrera went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI single and additional run scored in Thursday's 8-5 win over the Marlins.

Herrera opened the scoring in the second inning with his homer, and his other hit sparked the Cardinals' five-run rally in the seventh inning. The catcher is filling in while Willson Contreras (hand) is unavailable. This was Herrera's second multi-hit effort in a row, and he's now 4-for-12 with four RBI and two runs scored over four contests this season. He's also yet to draw a walk while striking out five times, so there's still room for improvement with plate discipline.

Contreras did not suffer a fracture in his hand and is hoping to be available to play Saturday versus the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras was held out of the lineup Thursday after being hit in the hand with a pitch the day prior. It's unclear whether he'll be able to start behind the plate Saturday against Miami, but X-rays came back clean and it doesn't appear that he'll be in for a long-term absence.

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.