MLB Player News

Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk during Thursday's 5-1 win over the White Sox.

Raleigh extended Seattle's lead to 3-1 with a solo blast in the top of the seventh inning off White Sox reliever Bennett Sousa. Raleigh appears to be a timeshare with Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy behind the plate, but Raleigh is the first catcher of the group to reach three starts. Through the first week of the season, Raleigh is 2-for-10 with three walks and three strikeouts.

Gomes will start at catcher and bat sixth Thursday against the Rockies.

Gomes will crack the lineup for only the second time in six games this season while No. 1 backstop Willson Contreras gets a breather. The Cubs have been running out a designated-hitter platoon of Rafael Ortega and Clint Frazier, so Gomes' opportunities are expected to remain limited while Contreras continues to play exclusively at catcher.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

He'll sit for the second time in six games this season while Yan Gomes gets a turn behind the plate. Contreras turned in his best game of the season in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates, hitting a thunderous solo home run while coming around to score the Cubs' other run of the day after reaching base on a double.

Higashioka will sit Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Higashioka looks like the clear primary catcher for the Yankees at the moment, as he'd started five of the first six games prior to Thursday's contest. He hasn't done much with those opportunities, going 1-for-18 at the plate. Jose Trevino will replace him behind the plate.

Grandal isn't starting Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Grandal went 2-for-8 with a strikeout in his last two appearances, and he'll get a breather for the second time in the last four games. Reese McGuire will draw the start behind the dish and bat seventh.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Rays.

Murphy entered the contest with just two hits in his first 21 at-bats of the season, but he matched that hit total in the productive performance Wednesday. The backstop's third-inning three-run homer provided all the scoring Oakland needed to grab its third win of the campaign. Murphy's four hits this season have included one single, one double, one triple and one long ball.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians.

The catcher launched his second homer of the season in the eighth inning by connecting on a Nick Sandlin fastball, driving in Tyler Naquin. With Tucker Barnhart now in Detroit, Stephenson has stepped in the everyday role behind the dish and should have ample opportunity to build on a 2021 campaign where he compiled 10 home runs, 45 RBI and produced a .286 batting average over 132 games.

Barnes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout Wednesday against the Twins.

Barnes was on the back end of three consecutive homers for the Dodgers in the eighth inning. He now has a pair of bombs early this season, which is notable considering he only left the yard six times across 225 plate appearances in 2021. Barnes will yield the majority of the playing time behind the plate to Will Smith, though he's made the most of his opportunity early on in the campaign.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Rutschman (triceps) has been making progress in his recovery, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman has been dealing with a right triceps strain since mid-March, and he's on the 7-day minor-league injured list to begin the regular season. However, he's been taking batting practice recently while going through a throwing progression. Although the 24-year-old's recent activity is certainly encouraging, he doesn't yet have a timetable to return to game action.

Caratini will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Both Caratini and Omar Narvaez have each picked up three starts apiece, but a timeshare arrangement doesn't seem to be in the works between the two catchers. Instead, manager Craig Counsell seems to be favoring a platoon setup, with the switch-hitting Caratini entering the lineup against southpaw pitchers, while the lefty-hitting Narvaez plays against righties.