MLB Player News
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Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Receiving breather Sunday
Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Moreno started the first three games of the series and will get a breather Sunday after going 4-for-13 with a grand slam and a stolen base. Jose Herrera will take over behind the plate and form a battery with starting pitcher Zac Gallen in the series finale.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Receiving Sunday off
Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
It's likely just a standard rest day for Stephenson, who started nine straight games after being reinstated from the injured list May 2. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a good start to the campaign with three doubles, a homer and a .794 OPS through 36 plate appearances. Jose Trevino will step in to catch righty Chase Petty on Sunday.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Making third straight start
Contreras will start at catcher and bat cleanup in Sunday's game against the Rays.
Though he sat out Wednesday's 9-1 loss to Houston, Contreras confirmed that he planned to continue playing through a fractured middle finger on his catching hand. The two-time All-Star caught eight innings Friday and nine more Saturday while going 1-for-7 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Even with the Brewers playing a day game Sunday, Contreras won't be deployed as a designated hitter and will remain behind the plate, a sign the coaching and training staffs are comfortable with his health.
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Sean Murphy C | ATL
Braves' Sean Murphy: Receiving afternoon off
Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Drake Baldwin will get the nod behind the plate while Murphy rests for the day game. Since the beginning of May, Murphy has gone 4-for-26 with a 3:10 BB:K. His ongoing slump could compel Atlanta manager Brian Snitker to turn the catcher spot into more of a timeshare between Murphy and Baldwin, who owns an .808 OPS on the season.
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Pedro Pages C | STL
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Set to lose time to Herrera
Pages is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
Pages started behind the dish in each of the previous three games, but he's likely to see his playing time take a hit moving forward after the Cardinals activated No. 1 backstop Ivan Herrera (knee) from the injured list Friday. Herrera has made both of his first two starts since returning as a designated hitter, but he should see the bulk of his starts as a catcher when the Cardinals face righties.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Behind the plate again
Stephenson started at catcher and went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 13-9 victory over Houston.
Stephenson, who was activated off the 10-day injured list May 2, has alternated between catcher and DH since returning from an oblique injury. Saturday's start behind the plate marked the first time he's caught in back-to-back games. Stephenson is batting .233 with six walks, three doubles, a home run, five RBI, four runs scored and a 41.7 strikeout rate over nine contests since his return.
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Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Bangs out four hits Saturday
Bart went 4-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings loss to Atlanta.
All four knocks were singles, but it was still an impressive way for the backstop to snap a 2-for-20 beginning to the month of May. Bart has been handling a hefty workload so far this season, in part due to the absence of Endy Rodriguez (finger), and through 98 plate appearances he's slashing .286/.412/.378 with one homer, seven runs and eight RBI. If Bart can find a way to pair last year's power display with his newfound patience, he could be headed for a big summer.