MLB Player News

Murphy (shoulder) continues to take swings in the batting cage and is expected to catch a bullpen session Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Manager Scott Servais said he's optimistic that Murphy will be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point during the Mariners' upcoming series in Boston that begins Thursday. Once Murphy is activated, he's expected to form a timeshare at catcher with Luis Torrens. The Mariners will likely send Cal Raleigh to Triple-A Tacoma whenever Murphy is deemed ready to go.

Smith is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus Arizona, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during the matinee, and it's not a surprise he won't be starting both ends of the twin bill. Austin Barnes will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.

Perez (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured last after Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

The 32-year-old suffered a sprained left thumb during the matinee and will now be sidelined for at least the next 10 days. It's unclear exactly how long Perez will be out as he continues to be evaluated, though he'll be eligible to be activated May 28. MJ Melendez should step in as Kansas City's primary catcher while Sebastian Rivero was promoted to handle backup duties.

Heim is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.

Sam Huff will get a turn behind the dish while Heim sits after starting each of the past five games as either a catcher or designated hitter. Heim continued to wield a hot bat in Monday's series opener, with his solo home run in the seventh inning -- his fourth of the season -- helping lead Texas to a 7-4 win.

Bart is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart has hits in his past three contests but finds himself on the bench for the second straight game. Curt Casali will receive another start behind the plate, forming a battery with Alex Cobb.

Narvaez will hit the bench Tuesday against Atlanta.

Narvaez sits against southpaw Tucker Davidson, as he has against all but one lefty the Brewers have faced this season. Victor Caratini will take over behind the plate.

Trevino will sit Tuesday against Baltimore.

Trevino may be moving ahead of Kyle Higashioka on the Yankees' catcher depth chart, though not by a wide margin. With Higashioka starting Tuesday, that means that Trevino has started six of the last 10 games behind the plate compared to four for his teammate.

The Rockies selected Serven's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old backstop earned his first promotion to the majors after turning in a .912 OPS and 16:15 BB:K across 96 plate appearances at Albuquerque this season. He'll step in as the No. 2 catcher behind Elias Diaz after Colorado demoted Dom Nunez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Perez was removed in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader with the White Sox due to a sprained left thumb. He went 1-for-3 with a base hit and two strikeouts before exiting the contest.

Kansas City deployed Perez as its designated hitter for the front end of the twin bill, presumably with the intention of having him handle catching duties in the nightcap. In light of Perez's injury, however, MJ Melendez may have to pull double duty behind the plate unless the Royals call up another catcher from the minors prior to Game 2. The extent of Perez's sprained thumb may not be known until the conclusion of the doubleheader.

Jansen will sit Tuesday against the Mariners.

Jansen has now started just twice in four games since returning from an oblique injury Saturday. It's unclear if his playing time will pick up once he's further removed from the injured list or if he and Alejandro Kirk, who starts Tuesday, will continue an even split behind the plate going forward.