MLB Player News

Barrera was suspended 80 games Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Barrera wasn't expected to serve on the Nationals' major-league roster this season, but he'll be forced to sit out the entire 2020 campaign and part of next season. The catcher played most of the 2019 season with Double-A Harrisburg, where he hit .249/.323/.381 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.

Mejia started at catcher in Friday's win over Arizona, batting eighth in the lineup and going 0-for-2.

The Padres have been mostly vague about how they will divide playing time behind the plate between Mejia and Austin Hedges this season, so the decision to give Mejia the Opening Day start shouldn't be over-analyzed. Still, Hedges caught most of Chris Paddack's starts last year, thus Mejia's presence in the lineup Friday comes as a bit of a surprise. For what it's worth, Hedges came into the game to play defense after Mejia was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and the team has yet to announce which of the backstops will be in the lineup for Saturday's contest.

Stallings will not start Saturday's matinee against St. Louis, manager Derek Shelton said during his post-game media conference on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Shelton said it wouldn't be fair to ask Stallings to catch in a day game following a night game. The backstop went 1-for-3 with a two-run single off Cardinals' starter, Jack Flaherty. John Ryan Murphy will serve as the team's catcher for Trevor Williams.

Jackson will start in Saturday's contest against the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Jackson started in Friday's season opener with Travis d'Arnaud (illness) and Tyler Flowers (illness) both sidelined, and he went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. However, manager Brian Snitker was impressed with the 24-year-old's defensive performance and said that he'll start once again Saturday. Jackson went hitless in four games with the Braves last season.

Heineman isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Heineman started in the Giants' season opener Thursday, but he'll give way to Rob Brantly behind the plate as the two are expected to have a timeshare this season. Brantly is batting ninth in Friday's contest.

Caratini will bat seventh as the designated hitter in Friday's season opener against the Brewers.

Caratini would seemingly be good enough to start behind the plate for several teams, as he's coming off a year in which he hit .266/.348/.447 in 95 games, but the presence of Willson Contreras means he won't fill that role for the Cubs any time soon. The addition of the universal designated hitter this season offers a potential pathway to at-bats for Caratini, though it will take more than just one game to determine how often he'll fill that role.

Casali will get the start behind the plate for Friday's season opener against the Tigers, batting ninth.

Casali started 57 games as the Reds' catcher last season, compared to 87 for Tucker Barnhart. It's possible that his Opening Day start is a sign that Casali will be the personal catcher for his college teammate Sonny Gray this season, though it's also possible that the backstops' workloads will be more equal this year. Casali did outhit Barnhart in 2019, posting a .251/.331/.411 slash line compared to Barhnart's .231/.328/.380 mark.

Barnhart isn't in the lineup for Friday's season opener against the Tigers.

The 29-year-old was expected to open the season as the Reds' primary catcher, but Curt Casali ends up receiving the start Opening Day. Barnhart had a .231/.328/.380 slash line with 11 home runs last season, and he's now exclusively hitting from the left side rather than being a switch hitter.

D'Arnaud (illness) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old actually tested negative for COVID-19 but is exhibiting symptoms, so he didn't travel with the team for Opening Day. D'Arnaud can rejoin the team once clear of the symptoms since there's no minimum stay for the specialized IL. Tyler Flowers is sidelined by similar circumstances, leaving Alex Jackson and William Contreras to handle catching duties for the Braves.

Contreras was recalled by the Braves ahead of their season opener against the Mets on Friday.

The Braves recalled both Contreras and Alex Jackson, as they'll need to call on their catching depth right away with both Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud showing coronavirus symptoms. Both tested negative for the virus but will remain away from the team for now. Contreras is an interesting prospect with the potential to contribute both offensively and defensively, but he wouldn't be making his big-league debut just yet under ordinary circumstances. He's yet to reach the Triple-A level and hit an unimpressive .246/.306/.340 in 60 games for Double-A Mississippi last season. He'll likely be Jackson's backup for now.