MLB Player News

Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

He'll sit for the second time in six games this season while Yan Gomes gets a turn behind the plate. Contreras turned in his best game of the season in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates, hitting a thunderous solo home run while coming around to score the Cubs' other run of the day after reaching base on a double.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians.

The catcher launched his second homer of the season in the eighth inning by connecting on a Nick Sandlin fastball, driving in Tyler Naquin. With Tucker Barnhart now in Detroit, Stephenson has stepped in the everyday role behind the dish and should have ample opportunity to build on a 2021 campaign where he compiled 10 home runs, 45 RBI and produced a .286 batting average over 132 games.

Barnes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout Wednesday against the Twins.

Barnes was on the back end of three consecutive homers for the Dodgers in the eighth inning. He now has a pair of bombs early this season, which is notable considering he only left the yard six times across 225 plate appearances in 2021. Barnes will yield the majority of the playing time behind the plate to Will Smith, though he's made the most of his opportunity early on in the campaign.

Caratini will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Both Caratini and Omar Narvaez have each picked up three starts apiece, but a timeshare arrangement doesn't seem to be in the works between the two catchers. Instead, manager Craig Counsell seems to be favoring a platoon setup, with the switch-hitting Caratini entering the lineup against southpaw pitchers, while the lefty-hitting Narvaez plays against righties.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

The lefty-hitting Narvaez will cede catching duties to the switch-hitting Victor Caratini with southpaw John Means on the mound for Baltimore in the series finale. Narvaez recorded his first hit of the season in Tuesday's 5-4 win.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.

Contreras opened the scoring in the contest, taking the Pirates starter Zach Thompson deep for a solo shot in the top of the first inning. He later ripped a ground-rule double off Thompson, narrowly missing an opportunity to leg out a three-bagger. The multi-hit effort was Contreras' first of the season as he added his first couple extra-base knocks of the 2022 campaign as well. Contreras continues to represent an elite fantasy option at the shallow catcher position.

Casali will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Padres, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

With top catcher Joey Bart moving over to designated hitter for the series finale, Casali will pick up his second start of the season. He'll likely continue to play once or twice a week while Bart is healthy and effective at the dish.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Royals.

The backup catcher was initially expected to start Monday versus the Pirates before that game was rained out. Knizner still got his start Tuesday and made good use of it, as his three-run blast in the fourth inning gave the Cardinals just enough runs to get the win. The 27-year-old is expected to play more frequently than in past seasons to give Yadier Molina rest, so it's encouraging to see Knizner make an impact when given a start as he looks to cement his place as the Cardinals' catcher of the future.

Nola isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Nola started in each of the last four games, and he went 4-for-15 with a homer, four RBI, two runs, a walk and three strikeouts. Jorge Alfaro will start behind the dish and bat eighth Wednesday.

Adams will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday in Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

He'll enter the lineup for the second time in seven games this season while top backstop Keibert Ruiz rests on getaway day. The Nationals gave Adams some exposure to first base in spring training to present him with another potential avenue to playing time, but the 25-year-old is still expected to see the overwhelming majority of his work behind the plate on days when Ruiz is sitting out.