MLB Player News

Diaz will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Diaz and Martin Maldonado have now made 15 starts apiece behind the plate through the Padres' first 30 games of the season, but the former offers more offensive upside at this stage of his career and could eventually recapture the lion's share of the playing time at catcher. The Padres will hand Diaz his second straight start after he brought his season average up to .192 with a 2-for-4 performance in Tuesday's 7-4 win.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Maldonado will hit the bench for the second day in a row while Elias Diaz picks up another start behind the dish. The playing time at catcher had been tilting in Maldonado's favor in recent weeks, but Diaz brings more offensive upside to the table and showed signs of breaking out of his season-long funk at the plate Tuesday, when he went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the Padres' 7-4 win. Maldonado could see his opportunities take a hit if Diaz is able to build on Tuesday's performance.

Murphy is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Colorado.

After catching each of the first two games of the series, Murphy will begin Wednesday's finale on the bench. Drake Baldwin is behind the dish and batting seventh as Atlanta goes for the sweep.

Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Marlins, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith caught both of the first two games of the series, so he'll get a breather in Wednesday's finale. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat ninth Wednesday as the Dodgers try to complete the sweep.

Herrera (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Herrera is slated to serve as Memphis' designated hitter for five innings Thursday and then catch for them Friday. The Cardinals haven't revealed how many rehab games Herrera will play, but a return from the 10-day injured list sometime next week seems likely as long as he doesn't suffered any setbacks. Herrera has been shelved since early April with a left knee bone bruise.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, a steal, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Contreras had an RBI single in the sixth to knot the game at two apiece and extend his hit streak to eight games. He's had at least one hit in all but one game in which he's appeared since April 5. His early power numbers are down from previous seasons, but he's posted a career-high walk rate and career-low strikeout rate over the first month and he's well on pace to reach double-digit steals for the first time after swiping his fourth bag Tuesday.

Pages is not in the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Reds.

Yohel Pozo is doing the catching and batting eighth for the Cardinals. Pages should be back behind the dish for the nightcap.

Kelly went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's victory against the Pirates.

Kelly's bat has been hot this season, and he was rewarded with his first start in the cleanup spot Tuesday. He didn't waste much time making an impact, belting a two-run shot to open the game's scoring in the fourth inning. Kelly later added an RBI single in the ninth. He's started 15 games this season and has delivered multiple hits in five of those, resulting in a .370/.524/.891 slash line.

Kelly is starting at catcher and batting fourth in Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

The Cubs are shaking things up a bit, with the slumping Dansby Swanson dropping down to eighth in the order and Kelly moving up to the cleanup spot. The veteran catcher certainly deserves it, as he's sporting a spectacular 1.371 OPS through 15 appearances. Kelly has a career .699 OPS, so some regression is likely coming soon, but fantasy managers should enjoy the hot streak while it lasts.

Pages is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Cincinnati.

Pages had started each of the previous four games at catcher, so he'll receive a well-earned break Tuesday. Yohel Pozo will be behind the dish and bat eighth for the Cardinals.