MLB Player News

Contreras is not in the starting lineup versus the Reds on Sunday.

Contreras gets a day off after going 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs in the Brewers' win over the Reds on Saturday. The backstop will get a breather for the series finale against Cincinnati with Victor Caratini getting the start at catcher in his absence.

Rogers is starting at catcher and batting eighth in Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Eric Haase continues to serve as the team's primary catcher, but he'll get the day game off, which opens up a start for Rogers. The latter is batting just .156, though he's managed six home runs in 36 games, giving him some all-or-nothing appeal at the plate.

Haase is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Haase will head to the bench for the day game, with Jake Rogers getting the nod behind the plate. Haase has regained primary catching duties, but both players have struggled. Haase has a .596 OPS, while Rogers is a little better with a .640 OPS, though he's batting just .156. The two only hold appeal in deeper fantasy formats.

Ruiz is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game versus the Phillies, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Ruiz went just 1-for-8 in the first two games against Philadelphia over the weekend, but his spot on the bench is about maintenance and not related to performance. The switch-hitting backstop takes a seat with Riley Adams starting behind the plate and hitting eighth.

Kirk is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game versus the Mets.

Kirk has swung the bat well as of late and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in the Blue Jays' win over the Mets on Saturday, but he'll get a day of rest for the series finale against New York. Tyler Heineman is starting behind the plate in Kirk's absence.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras had started behind the dish in each of the Cardinals' last four games, so he'll be getting a breather Sunday with the series finale beginning at 11:35 a.m. ET. Andrew Knizner will step in as St. Louis' starting catcher, working in a battery with Miles Mikolas.

Garver started at designated hitter and went 2-for-5 a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 16-6 win over the Mariners.

Garver made his first appearance with the Rangers since April 8 after being activated off the injured list Friday. Between serving as a designated hitter and operating as a backup option at catcher behind Jonah Heim, Garver should be able to hold down at least a semi-regular role now that he's healthy again. Depending on fantasy league rules, Garver may not yet qualify as a catcher in 2023 after logging only 14 starts behind the plate in 2022 and three so far this season.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates.

He took Luis Ortiz deep in the second inning to get the Cardinals on the board. It was a welcome sight for those with Contreras shares, as the veteran catcher had gone a miserable 2-for-40 (.050) over his prior 11 games. The 31-year-old's first campaign with St. Louis has not gone according to plan so far, and through 55 contests he carries a career-worst .215/.301/.365 slash line with six homers, four steals, 22 runs and 26 RBI.

Murphy went 3-for-5 with a double in Saturday's 5-2 win over Arizona.

While Murphy had no direct involvement in the run production, he kept his bat hot with his second three-hit effort in his last five games. The catcher is batting .353 (18-for-51) over his last 13 contests, hitting safely in 12 of them, though just four of his knocks in that span have gone for extra bases. The surge has him up to a .294/.400/.553 slash line with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 29 runs scored and 11 doubles through 48 games, putting him on pace for a career year nearly across the board.

St. Louis designated Barrera for assignment Saturday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Barrera will move off the 40-man roster after appearing in six games with St. Louis following his May 6 promotion from Triple-A Memphis. He went hitless in his two at-bats with the club. The Cardinals will announce a corresponding transaction before Sunday's game against the Pirates.