MLB Player News

Alvarez (hand) is starting at catcher and batting eighth Wednesday versus the Yankees.

Alvarez was removed from Tuesday's game after taking a pitch off his right hand, but X-rays came back negative and he's good to go for Wednesday's series finale against the Yanks. The 21-year-old catcher holds a strong .792 OPS with 19 home runs and 41 RBI through 260 major-league plate appearances this season.

Perez (thumb) has begun a swing progression after recently being medically cleared for such activity, the team's official site reports.

Perez's progress from a left thumb fracture remains somewhat deliberate, but this report is certainly encouraging. The veteran appears to still be more than a week from returning when factoring in a likely rehab assignment, and it's almost certain fellow backstop Manny Pina (wrist) will beat him back from the injured list considering the latter has already played in two minor-league games.

Barnes will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

With top backstop Will Smith resting for the day game after the night game, Barnes will be getting a turn behind the plate. Barnes will be making just his sixth appearance of July after going 2-for-17 with four strikeouts over his prior five games this month.

Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Blue Jays, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays are playing a day game after a night game, so Smith appears to be receiving a breather. Austin Barnes will do the catching for Tony Gonsolin.

Jansen (forearm) will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Jansen missed the Blue Jays' last two games due to a left forearm contusion, but he's shown enough improvement to handle his usual duties behind the plate in the series finale. Alejandro Kirk will head to the bench after catching Monday and Tuesday.

Contreras is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Diamondbacks.

Contreras returned to action Tuesday after missing two games with a hip issue, but he'll take a seat Wednesday for the day game after a night game. Andrew Knizner will catch for starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Naylor will receive a breather for the day game after he started at catcher and cracked a pair of home runs in the Guardians' 5-1 win Tuesday night. David Fry will step in behind the plate and will bat sixth.

Raleigh is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Twins, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Raleigh will take a seat after he went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 9-2 win. Tom Murphy will take over at catcher and bat sixth in the series finale with Minnesota.

Stallings will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stallings will pick up his third start in four games and may have usurped Nick Fortes as the Marlins' preferred option behind the plate. Neither Stallings (.538 OPS) nor Fortes (.547 OPS) has done much offensively to create excitement for fantasy purposes, and even in mixed leagues that start two backstops, both profile as low-end options at catcher.

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

Fortes is on the bench for the third time in four games and may have ceded No. 1 catching duties to Jacob Stallings. Though Fortes holds a minor edge over Stallings in terms of OPS (.547 to .538) this season, Stallings has a longer track record as a reliable defender behind the plate.