MLB Player News

Ruiz homered in his only at-bat during Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader loss to the Cubs.

Ruiz was called up to the club prior to Tuesday's twin bill, and he logged his first at-bat of the season with the Dodgers down 7-0 in the final inning. The backstop kept Los Angeles from being shut out with a 405-foot solo shot to right field for his second big-league homer. Remarkably, Ruiz's other career long ball also came in his first at-bat of the season (in 2020). He isn't likely to see much time with Will Smith and Austin Barnes entrenched behind the plate for Los Angeles, but Ruiz could stick with the club and carve out occasional plate appearances if the Dodgers decide they have room to continue carrying a third catcher.

Wallach remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Though top catcher Jorge Alfaro (hamstring) hasn't played since April 20, Wallach remains stuck in the No. 2 role behind the plate. Rather than Wallach, veteran Sandy Leon has seemingly emerged as the Marlins' preferred backstop. Leon will pick up his third consecutive start Wednesday.

Leon will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Leon will be behind the dish for the third game in a row and appears to have emerged as the team's primary backstop while Jorge Alfaro (hamstring) remains on the injured list. Through his first 10 games with Miami, Leon is batting .267 with two runs, no extra-base hits and no RBI.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Barnhart went 2-for-3 while catching all nine innings of the Reds' 9-0 loss Tuesday night, so he'll be getting a breather while Cincinnati and Chicago conclude their series Wednesday with an early game. Tyler Stephenson will pick up the start behind the dish, batting seventh.

Bart was recalled by the Giants on Tuesday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Bart's stay on the big-league roster may be temporary, as he'll be filling the roster spot that had belonged to Kevin Gausman, who isn't expected to miss much time while recovering from the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. It's possible he'll stick around as Buster Posey's backup, but it's unclear why the Giants would abandon their plan to give Bart regular at-bats in Triple-A right as the minor-league seasons are beginning.

Contreras will be on the bench for the second half of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers.

Contreras went 0-for-3 with a walk in the afternoon game. It's no surprise that he won't be asked to catch two games in one day. Tony Wolters will take over behind the plate in his absence.

Smith is out of the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Cubs.

Clayton Kershaw will start for the Dodgers in the afternoon contest, so Smith will take a seat while the lefty's personal catcher, Austin Barnes, steps in behind the dish. Expect Smith to catch Trevor Bauer in the nightcap.

The Dodgers recalled Ruiz from their taxi squad ahead of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

He'll provide the Dodgers with a third catcher behind Will Smith and Austin Barnes. Los Angeles opened a spot for Ruiz on the 26-man roster by designating pitcher Mike Kickham for assignment Monday.

Nola went 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a walk in Monday's 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh.

Nola missed most of April with a broken finger and this was only his second start of the season. Encouragingly, he has started two of the last three games -- once against a righty and once against a lefty.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 4-3 victory over the Brewers.

Realmuto launched a two-run blast deep to left field in the bottom of the first inning, putting the Phillies back on top 2-1. The 30-year-old backstop continues to see the ball well at the dish, now hitting .309 with three homers, 13 RBI and two stolen bases in 28 games.