MLB Player News

Campusano will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Campusano will stick behind the plate for the third time in four games while Freddy Fermin sits. Though Fermin has operated as the Padres' No. 1 catcher for much of the season, Campusano may be starting to turn the position into more of a timeshare arrangement due to his hot hitting. Since the calendar flipped to April, Campusano has hit .385 with three home runs, seven doubles, 10 RBI and eight runs over 13 games.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

He'll sit for the second time in the series while Miguel Amaya receives another start behind the plate in the finale in San Diego. Unless he ends up being used off the bench Wednesday, Kelly will finish April with a robust .317/.419/.476 slash line to go with two home runs, seven RBI and 12 runs over 18 games.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After missing a couple of games over the weekend due to a back issue, Smith returned to action and started behind the plate in the first two games of the series with Miami, going 3-for-9 with an RBI between the contests. Smith isn't believed to have suffered any setbacks coming out of either of those games, so he's presumably just getting a breather for Wednesday's matinee. Dalton Rushing will draw the start at catcher in the series finale.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Ramirez will be rested for the day game after he started behind the plate in the first two contests of the series in Los Angeles. Liam Hicks will handle catching duties Wednesday, and Kyle Stowers will serve as Miami's designated hitter.

Hicks (illness) will start at catcher and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Hicks ended up being scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's 2-1 win after falling ill, but he made enough progress overnight to rejoin the starting nine for the series finale. The second-year player has been one of the more productive bats in the Miami lineup this season, producing a 143 wRC+ while batting .311 with six home runs, one stolen base, 27 RBI and 17 runs in 28 games.

Fermin is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cubs.

Luis Campusano started Tuesday night at catcher and will be back behind the plate for Wednesday's matinee. It's been a nearly even split in playing time at catcher this season between Fermin (16 starts) and Campusano (14 starts).

Susac (elbow) has begun a hitting program and is expected to resume throwing later this week, per MLB.com.

Susac was placed on the 10-day injured list April 21 (retroactive to April 20) and is expected to miss 2-to-3 weeks due to right elbow neuritis. The 24-year-old catcher has impressed early this season, slashing .478/.500/.652 with five RBI and a run scored across 24 plate appearances in 11 games. Susac may return to splitting reps behind the plate with Patrick Bailey once cleared, but for now, Eric Haase will continue serving as Bailey's backup.

Del Castillo started at designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Tuesday's 11-2 loss to the Brewers.

Del Castillo, who was removed from the team's previous game Sunday due to a finger injury, only needed Monday's off day to get back in the lineup. He's hit a recent dry spell, going 1-for-16 over the last five contests, which dropped his average to .224 through 14 games.

Hicks was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers due to an illness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Hicks is slashing .340/.353/.574 with 14 RBI and seven runs scored across his last 51 plate appearances, but an illness will prevent him from facing the Dodgers on Tuesday. Agustin Ramirez will move behind the plate as a result, opening up the DH spot for Connor Norby.

Rushing is starting as the designated hitter and batting leadoff Tuesday versus the Marlins.

Not only is Tuesday's start Rushing's first in the leadoff role but also his first of the season in the top half of the order. This will be the 25-year-old's third career start as the designated hitter, as that role is typically reserved for Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is not in the batting lineup Tuesday as he focuses on his start as the pitcher.