MLB Player News
-
J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Getting afternoon off
Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Realmuto will get a breather for the afternoon game after he started behind the plate each of the previous three days while going 3-for-13 with eight strikeouts. He recorded exactly one hit in each of those contests to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Unless he's deployed off the bench Wednesday, Realmuto will look to extend the streak to 18 when he likely returns to the lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Cardinals.
-
Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Plays both games in twin bill
Smith went 1-for-9 with a solo home run in Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Mets.
Smith caught all 10 innings during Game 1 of the twin bill, then remained in the lineup as the Dodgers' DH in Game 2. He produced one of the team's three runs in the nightcap with a solo homer to left field. Smith's use as the designated hitter after catching in Game 1 highlights how valuable his bat is to the team, though his opportunities to fill the DH role have been more limited this season with Shohei Ohtani in the fold.
-
Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Resting Wednesday
Stephenson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Stephenson will take a seat for the day game after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout while catching all nine innings of Tuesday's 7-1 loss to St. Louis. Luke Maile gets the starting nod behind the dish in the series finale.
-
Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Taking seat Wednesday
Moreno is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.
Moreno started the last two contests at catcher but will get a breather for Wednesday's afternoon game. Tucker Barnhart and Ryne Nelson will form the Diamondbacks' battery.
-
Ivan Herrera C | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Posts three hits in win
Herrera went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Reds.
Herrera went 1-for-11 over his previous three games before breaking out of the slump Tuesday. All three of his hits were singles in this contest. The catcher is up to a .276/.344/.362 slash line with three home runs, 16 RBI, 15 runs scored and one stolen base across 131 plate appearances.
-
Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Moves to injured list
Bart (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
The 27-year-old was lifted from Sunday's matchup against Atlanta due to the injury and will now be sidelined for at least the next week and a half, though the severity of the injury remains unclear. Grant Koch was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and will serve as Yasmani Grandal's backup while Bart is unavailable.
-
Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Cleared for rehab assignment
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Alvarez (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Mendoza offered that Alvarez will catch 5-to-7 innings in his first game with Binghamton and build up from there. Alvarez is five weeks removed from undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb. He was given an eight-week timetable to return following the operation, but the young catcher would appear to have a good shot to beat that timeline.
-
Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Looking good in batting practice
Alvarez (thumb) was reaching exit velocities over 100 miles per hour during batting practice over the weekend, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The 22-year-old catcher is still wearing a splint on his surgically repaired thumb, however, and the Mets aren't going to rush him back from the 10-day injured list. The team may also use his recovery period to have him work on his positioning behind the plate, as Alvarez has a tendency to be overeager reaching for pitches and is susceptible to getting his glove hand smacked by a swing. Alvarez was batting .236 (13-for-55) with one home run and eight RBI through 16 games when he was injured in mid-April.