MLB Player News

Rushing went 4-for-4 with a two solo home runs and an additional run scored in Monday's win over the Blue Jays.

It was the first career multi-homer game out of Rushing, who also racked up a career-high four knocks Monday. The backstop is off to a ridiculous start in limited action, having gone 6-for-9 with three long balls in his first three appearances, but his pathway to steady reps is blocked by Will Smith at catcher. Rushing remains likely to mostly fill in behind the dish on occasions when Smith needs a breather.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Ruiz and Drew Millas have split time behind the dish evenly through the Nationals' first five games, with both catchers drawing five starts apiece. Though Ruiz has been the better producer thus far, he's still holding down a modest .222/.211/.444 slash line through his first 19 plate appearances. He may need to raise his performance before taking on a larger share of the catching duties.

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

Smith will hit the bench for a second straight game, with Dalton Rushing working behind home plate and batting eighth. The decision to hold Smith out is a deliberate one, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noting Monday that he wants Smith to be the catcher for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Smith has gone 8-for-29 (.276 average) with two home runs and five RBI to open the season.

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

Hicks has gotten off to a sizzling start to the season with a 1.164 OPS over 29 plate appearances, but the Marlins will shield the left-handed batter from southpaw Brandon Williamson in Monday's series opener. At least until the Marlins return the likes of Christopher Morel (oblique) and Kyle Stowers (hamstring) from the injured list, Hicks should have a clear path to regular at-bats versus right-handed pitching while making starts at catcher, first base or designated hitter.

Pages is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Nationals.

Pages will begin the contest on the bench as Ivan Herrera gets a start at catcher. The 27-year-old Pages has drawn starts in six of 10 games thus far and appeared off the bench in one additional contest.

Amaya will start at designated hitter and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Rays.

Amaya will remain in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, with three of his starts coming versus lefties and two coming against righties during that stretch. The 27-year-old has gone 5-for-12 with a pair of extra-base hits to begin the season, and his hot start appears to have helped him at least temporarily supplant Moises Ballesteros as the Cubs' preferred option at DH.

Baldwin went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Sunday's extra-inning loss against the Diamondbacks.

Baldwin powered Atlanta's offense, accounting for four of the team's five runs in the contest. The 25-year-old catcher got things started early with a solo homer, his fourth of the season, as the second batter of the game and added a pair of RBI singles, including a clutch knock in the ninth inning to tie the game. The hot start continues for Baldwin, who is slashing .300/.378/.625 with 12 RBI across 45 plate appearances to begin his second season in the majors.

Rushing went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Nationals.

Rushing got the Dodgers' comeback started in the sixth inning with a two-out, two-strike homer off lefty PJ Poulin, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The 25-year-old catcher hasn't seen a lot of playing time behind Will Smith early this year (Sunday's start was just his second of the season). Rushing has gone 2-for-5 to open the campaign after slashing .204/.258/.324 with four homers across 155 plate appearances as a rookie in the 2025 regular season.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Moreno will sit Sunday after a run of six straight starts, during which he went 5-for-21 with two walks, two doubles, two RBI and three runs. James McCann is doing the catching for Brandon Pfaadt in the series finale.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Smith started the previous four games behind the plate and will receive Sunday off after going 5-for-17 with a walk and two runs during that stretch. Dalton Rushing will handle the catching for righty Roki Sasaki in the series finale.