Maldonado is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Rays on Friday.

Maldonado has started in more games as of late, but he'll rest Friday while Elias Diaz starts behind home plate and bats eighth against Rays right-hander Shane Baz. Maldonado is slashing .225/.244/.300 with one home run and two RBI in 41 plate appearances this season.

Herrera (knee) hopes to begin a rehab assignment May 1, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Herrera is making good progress in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, having run, hit and caught off a pitching machine this week without any setbacks. He should require only a few rehab games before returning to the Cardinals' lineup.

The Mets activated Alvarez (hand) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Alvarez is starting at catcher and batting seventh Friday versus the Nationals in what will be his season debut after he missed the first four weeks of the season following surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. The catcher went 7-for-39 with one home run across 10 rehab contests.

Goodman went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Royals. He went 0-for-4 in the nightcap.

The 25-year-old opened the scoring in Thursday's matinee with a two-out, RBI single off Cole Ragans before extending Colorado's lead to 4-2 with a two-run homer in the third, his fourth long ball this season. Goodman saw his eight-game hitting streak end in the nightcap -- he went 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and six RBI in that span. He's been serving as the Rockies' primary catcher this season and is slashing .237/.326/.434 with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored across 86 plate appearances.

Senger was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

Senger had a brief stretch of regular playing time behind the plate for the Mets but picked up only five hits across 28 at-bats overall. This move comes with the anticipation that Francisco Alvarez (hand) will return Friday, though that transaction has not yet been made official.

Contreras isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

Contreras has logged a base hit in 15 of his last 16 games, but he'll take a seat Thursday for what will be his second day off of the season. Eric Haase will start behind the plate instead and bat ninth.

Bailey is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Brewers, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey caught each of the first three games of the four-game set against the Brewers, so he'll receive a well-earned day off for Thursday's matinee. Sam Huff will be behind the dish and bat eighth for the Giants.

Stallings is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Royals.

Hunter Goodman will be behind the plate for the first game of the day, but expect Stallings to enter the lineup at catcher for the second half of the doubleheader, when rookie Chase Dollander will be on the mound for the Rockies.

The Cardinals will evaluate Herrera's (knee) progress and timetable for a rehab assignment when they return home Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera is progressing well from a left knee bone bruise, as he's been able to run, hit and catch off a pitching machine without issue in recent days. A rehab assignment seems to be around the corner, but more will be known after he's evaluated Friday. Herrera has been shelved since early April.

Stephenson (oblique) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. He's gone a combined 1-for-6 with a double, an RBI and two strikeouts in two games.

Stephenson operated as the catcher in both contests and caught five innings in each. With a layoff of over a month, the Reds are unlikely to push the catcher too quickly through the rehab process.