MLB Player News

Murphy (wrist) will sit again Saturday against the Astros, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Murphy was hit by a pitch in his wrist in Thursday's season opener and was scratched from Friday's lineup. He'll miss a second straight game Saturday, with Aramis Garcia getting another start behind the plate. Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, Murphy is feeling better and could pinch hit Saturday.

Mejia went 1-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a walk in a win over the Marlins on Friday.

The backup backstop didn't have to wait long to draw his first start of the season, and his ninth-inning sac fly gave the Rays some valuable breathing room by extending their lead to two runs. The switch-hitting Mejia should see his fair share of starts against right-handed pitching this season and could potentially carve out a solid swath of playing time if he proves productive at the plate.

Vazquez is not in Saturday's lineup against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kevin Plawecki will start behind the dish and bat ninth. Vazquez went 0-for-2 with a walk in Boston's opener Friday.

Murphy was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Astros with a right wrist contusion.

He was hit on the wrist by a pitch in Thursday's game. Aramis Garcia will enter the lineup at catcher and will bat ninth.

Murphy is not in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Murphy started Thursday's season opener but will cede the catcher spot to Luis Torrens in the second game of the season. It may take some time to determine the exact playing-time breakdown between those two, though the fact that Murphy is already sitting may indicate a fairly even split.

Collins started at designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Collins got the Opening Day call at DH, a spot that looked like it belonged to Andrew Vaughn all spring. It's unclear if manager Tony La Russa was simply rewarding Collins for a strong spring, or if the manager plans to use the left-handed Collins at DH against right-handers while Vaughn slots in against lefties. Vaughn will make his season debut Friday against lefty Andrew Heaney, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Collins, meanwhile, will catch Lance Lynn on Saturday. That Collins beat out Jonathan Lucroy to be the top backup catcher is a sign the team is pleased with the defensive advancements he's made this spring.

Mejia won an Opening Day roster spot as the primary backup to Mike Zunino at catcher, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Mejia was steady at the plate during spring training, finishing with a .267 average across 32 plate appearances. The 25-year-old once was held in high regard in the Padres organization, and although the franchise decided he was expendable in the Blake Snell trade this past offseason, it appears he'll have a chance at a reset with Tampa Bay.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Stassi crushed his homer off Lucas Giolito in the fifth inning. His other hit was a single to left field off Codi Heuer. The 30-year-old veteran had a career year in 2020, slashing .278/.352/.533, and he'll have every opportunity to build on that as the clear No. 1 catcher in Anaheim.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of walks in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Perez's ninth-inning blast made things interesting for Tigers closer Gregory Soto, but Cleveland wasn't able to tie the game. The 32-year-old Perez struggled in 2020 with a .165/.264/.216 slash line and just one homer in 32 games. He's set to see the bulk of the time behind the dish for Cleveland, mostly due to his strong defense. Austin Hedges is Cleveland's other option at catcher, but neither he nor Perez should be expected to put up big offensive numbers.

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Sanchez had a disappointing season at the plate last year, slashing .147/.253/.365, but he began the 2021 campaign on a high note with a two-run blast in his first at-bat of the season. Kyle Higashioka should see his fair share of playing time behind the dish in 2021, but Sanchez impressed while catching Gerrit Cole on Opening Day.