MLB Player News

Heim is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

Heim drew the nod behind the plate Opening Day and went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI in Thursday's 11-7 win. Though he'll take a seat Saturday and give way to Mitch Garver behind the dish, Heim is still expected to be the Rangers' preferred option at catcher more often than not.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Maldonado started the first two games of the year behind the plate, going 1-for-6 with a walk. Yainer Diaz will catch for Jose Urquidy on Saturday.

Garver will start at catcher and bat seventh against the Phillies on Saturday.

Garver is making his 2023 debut after ceding catching duties to Jonah Heim in the season opener Thursday. After playing just 14 games at catcher in 2022 due to a forearm injury, he may not qualify at catcher depending on league settings, but Garver is expected to share backstop duties with Heim in 2023. He'll also rotate at designated hitter along with Heim and Brad Miller, who will start at DH on Saturday.

Barnhart is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Yan Gomes started on Opening Day, but he'll head to the bench in favor of Barnhart on Saturday. The two veterans are expected to split catching duties this season. Barnhart struggled offensively this spring, however, and could be slightly behind Gomes in the pecking order at the moment. Gomes will likely bump Barnhart back to the bench Sunday.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

After starting Thursday's season opener and going 0-for-4 with an RBI, Gomes will take a seat and give way to Tucker Barnhart. The two veterans are expected to split playing time all season, so it's not a surprise to see them rotate in the first two games. Gomes will likely return to the lineup Sunday.

Grandal will head to the bench for Saturday's game against Houston.

Grandal went 2-for-8 with a home run in the first two games of the year, but it's no surprise that the veteran catcher isn't being asked to crouch for three straight days this early in the year. Seby Zavala takes over behind the plate, catching for Lucas Giolito.

Contreras (knee) will not start Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Contreras was hit in the knee by a Jordan Hicks fastball while catching the flamethrower on Opening Day. X-rays and an MRI didn't turn up anything worse than a bruise, but he'll nonetheless sit for at least one game. Andrew Knizner takes over behind the plate. Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Contreras is available to pinch hit and hopes to return to the lineup Sunday.

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in the Mariners' loss to the Guardians on Friday.

The slugging backstop was one of the few bright spots on the night for the Mariners, knocking in Kolten Wong and Ty France with his third-inning double to knot the game at 3-3. The fact Raleigh already has an extra-base knock on the board in 2023 is par for the course, considering the 26-year-old came into the season having recorded at least a double on 62 of his first 103 major-league hits.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday that Smith will not catch Saturday's contest against the Diamondbacks, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Roberts doesn't want Smith to catch three games in a row in the early part of the year. That means Austin Barnes will be behind the plate for the Dodgers on Saturday, and Roberts says they'll have more right-handed options in the lineup. Smith could end up being the DH, but it's also very possible he'll get a day off after playing in the first two contests.

Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, a run and four RBI in Thursday's 8-2 win against Arizona.

Smith's first at-bat of the campaign was about as professional as they come, as he took a Zac Gallen offspeed offering the other way for a double in the first inning. In the third, the backstop came up with runners on second and third and two outs, and he came through with a clutch single to right field to tie the score 2-2. Smith later gave Los Angeles its first lead with a two-run single in the fifth inning. The Opening Day performance served as a strong reminder of Smith's status as one of the top hitting catchers in the league. He should have plenty of opportunities to produce this season as the Dodgers No. 3 hitter behind Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.