MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's victory over the Rockies.

Smith has secured at least one hit in each of his first four starts of the season and has home runs in back-to-back games. The 2016 first-round pick has slashed at least .250/.335/.465 in each of his first four MLB seasons and remains one of the more consistent offensive catchers in the league.

D'Arnaud is starting at catcher and batting cleanup for Atlanta's game Monday versus the Cardinals.

D'Arnaud is doubling up Sean Murphy in regard to playing time in the early going, making two starts at catcher and two at designated hitter while Murphy has started just twice behind the plate. It's a playing time breakdown not likely to continue, as manager Brian Snitker seemingly is just riding d'Arnaud while he's off to a 6-for-13 start.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

Gomes and Tucker Barnhart have now alternated turns behind the plate across the Cubs' first four games, and a roughly even timeshare between the two could remain in place until one separates himself from the other from a performance standpoint.

Murphy is not in Atlanta's lineup for Monday's game in St. Louis.

Murphy has now started just two of his team's first four games, while Travis d'Arnaud has started all four (two at designated hitter). D'Arnaud is off to a 6-for-13 start and Murphy is hitless in eight plate appearances, so manager Brian Snitker seems to be just riding the hot hand here.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Jason Delay will step in behind the dish while Hedges rests Monday. Hedges started at catcher in all three games of the Pirates' season-opening series with the Reds, going 0-for-7 with a walk and a run scored.

Contreras (knee) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Contreras looked to be in considerable pain and potentially headed for a trip to the injured list after taking a 102.7 mile-per-hour pitch to his right knee in Thursday's season opener, but he ended up missing just one game. He was back behind the plate Sunday and caught all nine innings while producing on the offensive end, alleviating any concern fantasy managers may have had about his status heading into the Cardinals' upcoming six-game week.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to Arizona.

Smith sat out Saturday's contest but was back behind the plate Sunday, batting out of the No. 3 slot. He produced the Dodgers' only run of the game with his first-inning solo shot off Zach Davies. Smith is off to a strong start to the campaign, starting in three of Los Angeles' first four contests and posting a .455/.500/.818 slash line with the home run, five RBI and a 2:2 B:K over 14 plate appearances.

Perez will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Perez has now started behind the dish in three of the Giants' first four games of the season, and he'll likely remain the team's preferred option behind the dish for the foreseeable future after Joey Bart (back) was moved to the injured list over the weekend. The Giants have Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol on hand as another option at catcher, but he should see the bulk of his action in left field while Mitch Haniger (oblique) is on the shelf. Perez has gone 1-for-6 with four strikeouts through his first two games and is a career .207/.298/.359 hitter (77 wRC+) over parts of 10 seasons in the majors, so he likely won't be anything more than a low-end No. 2 option in leagues that start two catchers while he's receiving steady plate appearances.

Stubbs went 0-for-1 and caught an inning behind the plate in Saturday's 16-3 loss to the Rangers.

Stubbs' status for Opening Day initially appeared to be in some doubt after he experienced right knee irritation earlier in March during a stint with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, but he was able to erase any concerns about his health by catching six innings in the Phillies' exhibition finale last Tuesday. He ended up making his season debut Saturday, but that was only because starting catcher J.T. Realmuto was pulled from the game early due to the Phillies trailing by 10 runs.

Moreno is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Moreno started behind the plate in the first three games of the season and will receive a breather Sunday after he went 2-for-9 with a double and an RBI. Jose Herrera will start at catcher and bat ninth in the series finale.