MLB Player News

Wallach is catching and batting eighth Friday against the Cubs, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wallach was expected to back up Tomas Telis in the absence of injured starter J.T. Realmuto (back), but Wallach has now been named the starter for the opening two games of the season. Starting the right-handed Wallach over the switch-hitting Tomas Telis in the opener against Jon Lester could have been explained as simply a move to gain a platoon advantage, as Telis has hit poorly against lefties in his career, but Wallach remaining in the lineup against the right-handed Kyle Hendricks suggests it's he who is the interim starter. Regardless of the unexpected playing time, nothing in Wallach's profile suggests he'll be a significant fantasy asset, but in leagues deep enough to roster one of the Marlins' catchers, he appears to be the one to grab.

Wallach went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Cubs.

Getting the start and hitting eighth, Wallach's Opening Day performance ended up being pretty forgettable. The 26-year-old may not get much of a chance to redeem himself -- the Marlins are carrying three catchers on the roster while they wait for J.T. Realmuto (back) to get healthy, and Tomas Telis and Bryan Holaday could easily see the rest of the starts until Realmuto comes off the disabled list. Wallach's minor-league track record doesn't suggest much fantasy upside even if he does see more action.

Plawecki went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

Hitting seventh in front of the pitcher's slot, Plawecki made a surprising impact on Opening Day. The 27-year-old is expected to split the workload about equally with Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate this season, but if Plawecki keeps getting on base, he could be tough to pull out of the lineup.

Plawecki will get the Opening Day start for the Mets behind the plate, Mike Puma of The New York Post reports.

He's expected to split the workload fairly evenly with Travis d'Arnaud this season, but Opening Day starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard preferred working with Plawecki last season, which likely played into manager Mickey Callaway's thinking on his initial lineup. The 27-year-old slashed .260/.364/.400 with three home runs through 37 games in the majors last season, and he could be sneakily useful in deep OBP leagues with increased playing time.

Nola was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports

Nola was just 1-for-11 at the plate in a brief showing this spring, but even with J.T. Realmuto (back) not ready to begin the year, Nola is a ways away from factoring into the catching mix in Miami. The converted backstop is still expected to work on his catching at the Double-A level in 2018, provided he stays within the organization as opposed to free agency.

D'Arnaud will take a seat for Thursday's Opening Day contest against the Cardinals, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Manager Mickey Callaway discussed having Kevin Plawecki in the lineup more often against right-handed pitching -- the Mets will face in Carlos Martinez to open up the 2018 season. Even though the Mets are set to go up against three right-handers in this opening series, expect to see d'Arnaud in the lineup this weekend since this doesn't figure to be a strict platoon by any means.

Wallach has earned a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

With J.T. Realmuto (back) sent to the 10-day disabled list to begin the year, the Marlins have elected to keep three catchers on the Opening Day roster, with Tomas Telis and Bryan Holaday joining Wallach. Telis will likely serve as the primary catcher until Realmuto returns to the field. Over the course of six career games at the major-league level -- all coming last year with Cincinnati -- Wallach has gone 1-for-11 with five strikeouts at the dish.

Realmuto (back) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto continues to nurse a bone bruise in his back. While he's making solid progress, the Marlins don't want to rush the stud catcher back, especially considering they won't be competing this season. At this point it doesn't sound like Realmuto will need too much time on the shelf, but a clearer return date should start to materialize as he continues to ramp up activities. In the meantime, Tomas Telis will serve as the Marlins' primary backstop.

Diaz will open the season as the Pirates' backup catcher behind Francisco Cervelli, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's spring got off to a rocky start from a personal standpoint after his mother was kidnapped in his native Venezuela in early February, but things ended on a happier note three days later when she was rescued. The 27-year-old didn't end up missing any significant time in camp and was able to beat out Jacob Stallings and Ryan Lavarnway for the second catcher spot. So long as Cervelli stays healthy, Diaz will likely be limited to a couple starts per week.

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy has received brief callups in each of the past three seasons, but he has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He was beat out for the backup role by Tony Wolters again this season. An injury to Wolters or starter Chris Iannetta would bring Murphy back to the big leagues, and while Coors Field makes him a better fantasy option than other backup catchers, he hasn't done much in his 44 major-league games thus far in his career, hitting just .214. He does at least provide a bit of pop (eight career major-league homers).