MLB Player News

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.

Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Brewers.

After an 0-for-13 beginning to his season, including his first two official at-bats in this one, Jeffers cranked a three-run homer off Bryse Wilson in the seventh inning to break open a 3-3 tie. The 26-year-old catcher had a breakout 2023 campaign, slashing .276/.369/.490 with 14 home runs in 96 games, and he'll be given every chance to repeat or improve on those numbers. Jeffers has started four of the Twins' first five games -- three behind the plate, and one at DH.

King is recovering from right shoulder surgery in October and is expected to get in games later this summer, MLB.com reports.

A fourth-round pick in 2022, King is a glove-first catcher with no experience above rookie ball. He hit .324 with zero home runs, 23 strikeouts and five steals in 21 games in the Arizona Complex League last year as a 19-year-old.

Manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Grandal (foot) just started a running progression and is "a ways away" from being game ready, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Progress has been slow since Grandal was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in early March, but the start of a running progression is an encouraging development. Still, the Pirates clearly don't expect the 35-year-old to be available anytime in the near future. The club traded for Joey Bart on Tuesday to boost its catching depth.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Rockies.

The Cubs have now gone with Miguel Amaya at catcher in two straight games and three of the last four contests. Gomes still seems likely to ultimately receive the bulk of the starts behind the dish, but manager Craig Counsell evidently is liking what Amaya is bringing right now.