MLB Player News

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

The lefty-hitting Narvaez will cede catching duties to the switch-hitting Victor Caratini with southpaw John Means on the mound for Baltimore in the series finale. Narvaez recorded his first hit of the season in Tuesday's 5-4 win.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.

Contreras opened the scoring in the contest, taking the Pirates starter Zach Thompson deep for a solo shot in the top of the first inning. He later ripped a ground-rule double off Thompson, narrowly missing an opportunity to leg out a three-bagger. The multi-hit effort was Contreras' first of the season as he added his first couple extra-base knocks of the 2022 campaign as well. Contreras continues to represent an elite fantasy option at the shallow catcher position.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

All of Raleigh, Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy have now picked up two starts apiece at catcher this season, making it difficult to discern which of the three is atop the depth chart. Raleigh is sitting for the second straight day Wednesday while Murphy picks up a turn behind the dish.

Casali will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Padres, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

With top catcher Joey Bart moving over to designated hitter for the series finale, Casali will pick up his second start of the season. He'll likely continue to play once or twice a week while Bart is healthy and effective at the dish.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Royals.

The backup catcher was initially expected to start Monday versus the Pirates before that game was rained out. Knizner still got his start Tuesday and made good use of it, as his three-run blast in the fourth inning gave the Cardinals just enough runs to get the win. The 27-year-old is expected to play more frequently than in past seasons to give Yadier Molina rest, so it's encouraging to see Knizner make an impact when given a start as he looks to cement his place as the Cardinals' catcher of the future.

Nola isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Nola started in each of the last four games, and he went 4-for-15 with a homer, four RBI, two runs, a walk and three strikeouts. Jorge Alfaro will start behind the dish and bat eighth Wednesday.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs Tuesday in the Royals' 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Perez had been quiet through Kansas City's first four games, but he rediscovered the power stroke Tuesday that he displayed frequently during his 48-homer campaign in 2021. Fantasy managers should expect a fair amount of downturn in his power production in 2022, but he'll still be an elite contributor in home runs, RBI and runs relative to most other catchers while also producing a non-toxic batting average. Perez is also projected to handle one of the heavier workloads among all catchers; he played in 161 games in 2021 and has yet to get a day off in 2022.

Adams will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday in Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

He'll enter the lineup for the second time in seven games this season while top backstop Keibert Ruiz rests on getaway day. The Nationals gave Adams some exposure to first base in spring training to present him with another potential avenue to playing time, but the 25-year-old is still expected to see the overwhelming majority of his work behind the plate on days when Ruiz is sitting out.

Ruiz is not in Wednesday's lineup against Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz will get Wednesday off after starting the last two games behind the plate, going 2-for-9 with a double and two runs over those contests. Riley Adams will start at catcher and bat eighth as the Nationals try to to take the rubber match.

Perez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Perez is getting a breather due to the Pirates and Cubs closing their series with a game that begins at 12:35 p.m. ET. Andrew Knapp will step in for Perez and form a battery with starting pitcher Zach Thompson.