MLB Player News

The Brewers recalled Jackson from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

Jackson will step in as the Brewers' No. 2 catcher behind Omar Narvaez after top backup Victor Caratini was placed on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. The righty-hitting Caratini had been occupying the short side of a platoon with the lefty-hitting Narvaez, but it's not clear if the righty-hitting Jackson will be extended the same role or play only when Narvaez needs a breather behind the plate.

The Brewers announced Tuesday that Caratini was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

As a result of Caratini either testing positive for the virus or being deemed a close contact of an infected person, the Brewers made their first roster move since Opening Day. In a corresponding transaction, Milwaukee recalled Alex Jackson from Triple-A Nashville to serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Omar Narvaez while Caratini is away from the team.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Smith produced the lone long ball of the contest, taking Tyler Gilbert deep to left field in the eighth inning for his second homer of the campaign. The backstop finished with his second multi-hit effort of the season and first since April 14. Smith had been struggling coming into the contest, going just 1-for-10 over his previous four games.

McCann will sit Monday against the Cardinals.

McCann seems to be barely ahead of Tomas Nido on the depth chart at the moment, as the pair have alternated starts behind the plate for the last eight games. McCann hasn't made a very good case for a true starting role, as he's hitting .125/.237/.250 on the year.

Casali will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Brewers.

Casali has now picked up five starts behind the plate over the Giants' last 10 games, with nominal No. 1 catcher Joey Bart receiving the same workload. Manager Gabe Kapler hasn't suggested that the two backstops will be deployed in a timeshare all season, but Casali at least looks as though he'll play more frequently than the typical No. 2 catcher. Casali has yet to offer much from a fantasy perspective this season, as he enters Monday's game with a .158/.200/.211 slash line and 45 percent strikeout rate across 20 plate appearances.

Bart is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.

Bart and Curt Casali will alternate turns behind the dish for the 10th consecutive game. Manager Gabe Kapler hasn't suggested that the two backstops will work in a timeshare moving forward, so Bart can probably be viewed as the nominal No. 1 option for the time being.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

Narvaez is one of several lefty-hitting regulars in the Milwaukee lineup who will head to the bench Monday with southpaw Sam Long toeing the rubber for San Francisco. Victor Caratini will check in behind the dish for Narvaez, who went 0-for-7 over his two starts during the Brewers' weekend series in Philadelphia to sink his season batting average to .212.

Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at San Diego, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Smith started the past three games and will receive a day off in the series finale. Austin Barnes will catch for Clayton Kershaw on Sunday.

Campusano was recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Campusano has spent the first couple weeks of the season at the Triple-A level, where he's hit .359/.375/.487 through nine games. The 23-year-old will now join the big club with Luke Voit (biceps) heading to the injured list. Campusano should see infrequent opportunities since catchers Austin Nola and Jorge Alfaro remain healthy.

Manager David Bell said Sunday that he's unsure if Stephenson (concussion) will be ready to return from the 7-day injured list in time for the Reds' series in Colorado that begins Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Since he was placed on the 7-day injured list retroactive to April 20, Stephenson is technically eligible to return for the final two game of the Reds' home series with the Padres on Wednesday and Thursday, but Bell's comments imply that the backstop won't clear the concussion protocol by then. Stephenson doesn't sound like he's a lock to make it back for the weekend either, potentially making Aramis Garcia an attractive short-term pickup both in leagues that start one or two catchers. Though he's out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Garcia started each of the Reds' last four games and went 4-for-11 with two runs.