MLB Player News
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Travis d'Arnaud C | LAA
Braves' Travis d'Arnaud: Plates five runs Friday
D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with a double, five RBI, one walk and one strikeout in Friday's win against the Mets.
In just his second appearance since being activated from the injured list, d'Arnaud smacked a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the Braves' comeback bid in their 11-10 win. The 31-year-old has two doubles and six RBI over seven at-bats to begin the season but should continue to split catching duties with Tyler Flowers going forward.
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Tyler Heineman C | LAA
Giants' Tyler Heineman: Not starting Friday
Heineman is not in the lineup Friday against the Rangers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Heineman is the clear primary catcher in San Francisco through the first eight games. He's started five times, with Rob Brantly starting once and Chadwick Tromp, who starts Friday, getting the nod twice.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Not starting Friday
Smith is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.
Smith and Austin Barnes have split time evenly behind the plate so far this season, with each catcher starting four times. Smith doesn't have a hit in any of his four starts, with his lone base knock coming off the bench in the third game of the season.
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Joey Bart C | CHW
Giants' Joey Bart: Could debut over weekend
Bart has been taking grounders at first base at the alternate training site and could be called up Friday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
Teams can now call up prospects without the player accruing a full year of service time. The Giants have said in the past that they want Bart to learn another defensive position before joining the major-league roster, and it turns out he's been working at first base with the club in West Sacramento. With no minor-league games this season, the 23-year-old could be at risk of stagnating in his development if he's not competing regularly in a live setting.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Joining taxi squad
Stephenson will be on the taxi squad for the Reds' weekend series, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Stephenson homered in his first major-league at-bat Monday but was optioned to the team's alternate training site Wednesday to make room for Mike Moustakas on the active roster. However, the 23-year-old catcher will be available as an emergency option over the weekend as the Reds prepare for their first road series of the season.
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Chadwick Tromp C | BAL
Giants' Chadwick Tromp: Making big-league debut
Tromp will start behind the plate and bat ninth in his major-league debut Wednesday against the Padres, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old was dealing with a hamstring injury toward the end of summer camp, but the Giants selected his contract Tuesday and will waste little time inserting him into the lineup. Tromp had a strong showing in 26 games at Triple-A last season with seven home runs and a .999 OPS, and he's set to work as the Giants' secondary catcher behind Tyler Heineman.
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Tyler Heineman C | LAA
Giants' Tyler Heineman: Gets breather
Heineman is not starting Wednesday against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Heineman will give way to Chadwick Tromp behind the dish Wednesday after starting each of the past three games. In four appearances this season, Heineman is 5-for-13 with a pair of runs scored and a 2:2 BB:K.
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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Padres' Francisco Mejia: Day off Wednesday
Mejia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game at San Francisco.
Mejia started the past two games but remains hitless through four appearances. Austin Hedges receives the start behind the plate for the Friars on Wednesday.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Braves' William Contreras: Removed from roster
Contreras was optioned to Atlanta's alternate training site Wednesday.
Contreras and Alex Jackson unexpectedly opened the year as one of the Braves' two active catchers after both Travis d'Arnaud and Tyler Flowers came down with an illness. Both primary options are now healthy and back with the team, booting the fill-ins off the roster. Contreras grabbed four hits in 10 at-bats during his first big-league cameo.