MLB Player News

Caratini is starting at catcher and batting sixth in Saturday's game against the Reds.

Willson Contreras will be out of the starting lineup for the second day in a row, so Caratini will start behind the plate once again. The 25-year-old went 0-for-2 with two walks in Friday's loss, and he's slashing .400/.545/.640 across 25 at-bats this season.

Contreras is not in Saturday's lineup against the Reds.

He is hitting .348/.430/.561 with four home runs in 66 at-bats in May. Victor Caratini is starting behind the dish, hitting sixth.

Wallach was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a concussion, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Wallach apparently sustained the concussion in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, though he never actually exited the contest. It's unclear why the Marlins opted to utilize the 10-day IL rather than the 7-day version, which is earmarked specifically for concussions. Regardless, the 27-year-old will be eligible to be activated June 1, while Bryan Holaday joins the team to fill in as Jorge Alfaro's backup behind the plate.

Knizner, RotoWire's No. 4 fantasy prospect in the Cardinals organization, is slashing .298/.360/.484 with 13 extra-base hits (eight doubles, five home runs), 17 RBI, eight walks, a stolen base and 20 runs across 136 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis.

Knizner is proving that his initial success against Triple-A arms over a 17-game sample in 2018 was no fluke, as he's squared up on the ball consistently throughout a more extensive 2019 tenure at Memphis. The 24-year-old has been on the fast track through the Cardinals organization since his Rookie league debut in 2016, acquitting himself well at every stop. The seemingly ageless Yadier Molina and fellow veteran Matt Wieters currently hold down the catcher spots at the big-league level, but Knizner, who already saw one potential obstacle in Carson Kelly traded this past offseason, will continue getting further seasoning with the Redbirds until his number is called.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.

Contreras will return to the bench Friday after starting the last three games and going 2-for-11 with one RBI and two walks. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a productive May with a .338/.423/.544 slash line in 20 games. Victor Caratini will start behind the dish and bat sixth for the Cubs in his absence.

Smith is slashing .277/.395/.546 with eight homers and 27 RBI through 130 at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Smith has been red-hot at the dish for Oklahoma City, as a three-hit, two-homer day Tuesday gave him five long balls in 10 games. He's currently sporting a robust .941 OPS, showing vast improvement at the Triple-A level compared to his 25-game stint with Oklahoma City last season that saw him hit just .138. Smith is considered one of the top two prospects the Dodgers have at catcher along with Keibert Ruiz.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two runs and two walks in Wednesday's victory over the Reds.

Grandal can be a bit streaky, but he's on a hot one right now, hitting .289/.431/.605 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 51 plate appearances over 12 games since May 10. Grandal has started every game behind the plate since fellow backstop Manny Pina landed on the injured list May 16.

Nido went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before being lifted for Wilson Ramos in the seventh inning of Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

The Mets' backup catcher has gone 4-for-22 (.182) in May with nine strikeouts in eight games, although he does have a homer and two RBI. Barring an injury to Ramos, Nido's playing time and fantasy value will remain erratic at best.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Gomes has four hits in his last two games after recording zero in his previous eight. Kurt Suzuki will take over behind the plate Wednesday.

Barnes is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rays.

Barnes is hitting .263/.349/.395 with one home run and one steal in 38 at-bats this month. Russell Martin will start behind the dish and hit sixth.