MLB Player News

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.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.

Christian Vazquez will get a turn behind the dish in the series opener while Jeffers rests after he starred in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Brewers with two hits -- including a home run -- and four RBI. Jeffers had gone 0-for-11 over his first three starts before Wednesday's breakout game.

Rogers is not in the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Mets.

Carson Kelly will start behind the plate in the opening game of the day, serving as a battery mate for Casey Mize. Rogers should be back behind the plate for the second game, which will feature Matt Manning on the hill for Detroit.

Bailey went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers.

Bailey accounted for two of San Francisco's five hits in the contest, and he produced the team's first run with his solo shot in the third inning. The backstop has collected multiple hits in three of his five games so far and is slashing .375/.444/.563 through 19 plate appearances. Bailey is locked in as the Giants' primary backstop, but he'll need to show a longer run of offensive success to make more than a ripple in fantasy circles after he slashed just .233/.285/.359 with a 28.3 percent strikeout rate over 353 plate appearances as a rookie last year.

Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

Higashioka made his second start of the campaign -- filling in for Luis Campusano, who got the night off -- and delivered his first long ball of the season. The homer was his first hit after he went 0-for-4 in his first game of the season. Considering Campusano has a clear hold on catcher duties, Higashioka should generally remain outside of fantasy consideration.