MLB Player News

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Brewers.

Contreras was scorching hot in summer camp with six home runs, and now he has his first long ball that counts in 2020. The 28-year-old caught two of the Cubs' first three games, with an appearance at DH in between. That formula could be used the rest of the way to limit the wear and tear on Contreras behind the plate.

Stephenson was added to the 30-man roster Sunday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old will take the roster spot of Mike Moustakas (illness), who was placed on the injured list Sunday. Tucker Barnhart (paternity) is away from the team, but Stephenson is still unlikely to see significant opportunities with Curt Casali and Kyle Farmer still on the roster.

Caratini is the designated hitter and batting eighth in Sunday's game against the Brewers.

That makes two starts at DH for Caratini during the weekend series, with an appearance behind the plate as Yu Darvish's personal catcher in between. It looks like rookie manager David Ross is going to try to get both Caratini and Willson Contreras into the lineup most days, with one catching and the other serving as DH. The Cubs elected to keep Josh Phegley on the 30-man roster as a third catcher, so they can afford to deploy Contreras and Caratini at DH and still be covered behind the plate.

Contreras laced an RBI double off Hunter Strickland in the 10th inning of Saturday's win over the Mets.

After Matt Adams pinch hit for Alex Jackson in the eighth inning, the 22-year-old Contreras made his big-league debut behind the plate, and when he made his first trip to the plate two innings later, he made it count. Contreras remains Atlanta's catcher of the future, but his time in the majors this season will likely come to an end once Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud come off the COVID-19 list.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Saturday's win over Miami.

With the Phillies sitting on a two-run lead in the seventh inning, Realmuto crushed a splitter to center field to break the game open. The 29-year-old should rank among the best offensive catchers in the game again this season after compiling a combined 46 home runs and 157 RBI over his previous two campaigns.

Smith went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Giants.

Smith's lone at-bat came in the ninth inning after he entered as a defensive replacement for Austin Barnes. Smith's homer cut the deficit to one run, but the Dodgers couldn't muster anything else against Giants reliever Trevor Gott. It's been a fairly even timeshare behind the dish between Smith and Barnes to start 2020, which can make both of them frustrating to roster in one-catcher formats.

Gomes isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Although manager Dave Martinez said in March that he expected Gomes to play four or five times per week this season, he hasn't been in the lineup in either of the Nationals' two games this season. Kurt Suzuki will once again start behind the plate and bat sixth. Suzuki has historically been the better hitter of the two, and the team appears to be favoring that trait over Gomes' defensive abilities over the first couple games.

Mejia isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Mejia got the nod at catcher for the Padres' Opening Day contest, but he'll sit out after going 0-for-2 on Friday. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate Saturday, batting eighth. The two are expected to split time in some way this season, although their exact usage remains to be seen.

Barnhart was placed on the three-day paternity list Saturday.

Barnhart wasn't in the Reds' Opening Day lineup in favor of Curt Casali, and he'll now miss a few more days after being placed on the paternity list. Casali and Kyle Farmer should handle the catching duties in Barnhart's absence.

Smith isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Giants, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Smith logged two RBI and two walks in Friday's win against the Giants, but he'll sit for the second time in the first three games Saturday. Austin Barnes will handle the catching duties, batting ninth.