MLB Player News

The Giants optioned Porter to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Porter served as a third catcher for a couple days and did not receive a plate appearance for the Giants.

Villarroel (knee) is slashing .067/.176/.067 with a 1:4 BB:K across 17 plate appearances in four outings with High-A Eugene this season.

Villarroel briefly played in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League before joining Eugene, which placed him on the 7-day injured list April 3 following offseason meniscus surgery. The 21-year-old catcher has struggled since moving to High-A, going hitless in his first three appearances before logging a single in Sunday's 13-8 win over Vancouver.

The Cardinals promoted Rodriguez from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield on Monday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Rodriguez is only 19 but needs a new challenge after slashing .311/.430/.519 with four home runs and a 19:24 BB:K over 28 games with Peoria. The top prospect has continued to primarily play catcher this season (16 starts), but he's also been worked in at first base (six starts) and designated hitter (six starts). A permanent move off catcher could speed up Rodriguez's timeline for reaching the big leagues, though there's no indication at this point that the Cardinals are considering such a decision.

Baldwin went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Dodgers.

This was Baldwin's 10th homer of the season, three of which have come in May. He's batting .257 (9-for-35) this month, and he's added a 6:11 BB:K over that nine-game sample. Baldwin has cooled off a bit after starting the season at a blistering pace, but he's still providing high-quality performances for a catcher. Overall, he's batting .297 with an .892 OPS, 32 RBI, 35 runs scored and a stolen base across 41 contests. Baldwin could see more time behind the dish if Sean Murphy (finger) misses time after exiting Sunday's game early.

Murphy got an X-ray on his finger following Sunday's 7-2 win over the Dodgers, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was hurt when he was clipped by a Hyeseong Kim swing in the seventh inning on a play that was deemed catcher interference. The backstop remained in the contest until he was pinch-hit for in the ninth, and Drake Baldwin took over behind the plate in the bottom of that frame. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said after the contest that he thinks Murphy will be fine, though the skipper didn't share the results of the X-ray.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

The Padres will give Fermin the afternoon off after he started behind the plate in the first two games of the series. Rodolfo Duran will catch for starting pitcher Walker Buehler in the final game against St. Louis.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Alvarez started the previous five games and will get a well-deserved rest Sunday after going 5-for-17 with two walks, a double, an RBI and two runs during that span. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate and bat ninth for the series finale in Arizona.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Smith will receive a breather for the series finale after going 1-for-7 with a walk while starting behind the plate during the first two contests of the series. Dalton Rushing will handle catching duties for the finale versus Atlanta.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Moreno started the first two games of the series but will sit Sunday while in the midst of a mini slump, as he's gone 0-for-9 with two walks over his past four contests. James McCann is starting behind the plate for Arizona in the series finale.

Rodriguez will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

The 24-year-old rookie will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, with four of his starts coming behind the plate. After the Giants shipped Patrick Bailey to the Guardians on Saturday, Rodriguez is poised to serve as San Francisco's No. 1 catcher in the short term. Daniel Susac (elbow) will be a factor once he's activated from the 10-day injured list during the upcoming week, but Rodriguez's ability to play the corner outfield as well as multiple infield spots could allow him to maintain a near-everyday role. Since being called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, he's gotten off to a nice start to his big-league career, going 5-for-11 with a home run and two RBI through his first four games.