MLB Player News

Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bethancourt appears to have settled in as the Rays' preferred starter behind the plate, but like most catchers, he'll still be subject to at least a couple days off per week. Francisco Mejia will form a battery with starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen on Tuesday while Bethancourt heads to the bench.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Barnhart will be on the bench for the second straight game, with both absences coming with the Cubs facing left-handed pitchers. Though Yan Gomes has logged 25 more plate appearances this season, Barnhart appears to have taken hold of a strong-side platoon role at catcher. Twenty-six of Barnhart's 28 plate appearances to date have come versus right-handed pitching, while Gomes has made only 31 of his 53 plate appearances against righties.

Kirk is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

Danny Jansen is handling catching duties and Brandon Belt is serving as the Blue Jays' designated hitter, closing off Kirk's two avenues to playing time. Kirk is most likely just receiving a breather after he started at either catcher or DH each of the previous three days.

Nido is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.

Even though the Mets were off Monday, Nido will take a seat for the second straight game, as rookie Francisco Alvarez draws another turn behind the dish. Since Alvarez was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on April 7, Nido has taken on the bulk of the starts by virtue of his defensive acumen, but the veteran's anemic .281 OPS on the season could make it difficult for him to justify hanging on to the No. 1 role. Alvarez (.148/.148/.259 slash line in 27 plate appearances) hasn't stood out at the plate since being called up, either, but he'll be rewarded with another start after slugging a home run in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Giants.

Alvarez is starting at catcher and batting ninth Tuesday against the Nationals.

Alvarez connected for his first major-league homer of the season in Sunday's series finale against the Giants and will be rewarded with a second straight start behind the dish as the Mets open a three-game set versus Washington. Tomas Nido is sitting.

McCann is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

McCann is back on the bench after he had been included in the lineup each of the past three days, making two starts at catcher and one as a designated hitter. The Orioles' lack of an everyday DH means that manager Brandon Hyde will likely continue to rotate several players at that spot, including No. 1 catcher Adley Rutschman. As such, McCann could continue to play more than most No. 2 catchers around the league, though he's still unlikely to see enough playing time to warrant attention outside of AL-only leagues.

Realmuto is batting fifth Tuesday night against the Mariners.

Realmuto has been slumping a bit lately and got pushed down to the sixth spot in the Phillies' lineup for a stretch, but he'll jump into the No. 5 slot Tuesday versus the Mariners and right-hander Logan Gilbert. Brandon Marsh is batting eighth in this one.

Wong is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Reese McGuire (hand) cleared to start Tuesday, Wong will get a breather after starting behind the plate each of the past three days. Wong still looks like Boston's nominal No. 1 catcher, though his pedestrian .549 OPS could soon cost him playing time since McGuire (.850 OPS) has soundly outperformed him at the dish.

Smith (concussion) went through agility drills Tuesday in Pittsburgh, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already stated that Smith won't be activated during the team's three-game series against the Pirates that runs through Thursday, but it's a good sign the 28-year-old catcher is traveling with the team and now doing baseball activities. He could perhaps return from the 7-day injured list over the weekend.

McGuire (hand) will start at catcher and bat ninth in Tuesday's game in Baltimore, Tyler Milliken of 98.5 The Sports Hub Boston reports.

McGuire was out of commission for a couple days after taking a foul tip off the hand, but he's fine. He'll catch starting pitcher Corey Kluber on Tuesday while No. 1 backstop Connor Wong gets a breather.