MLB Player News

Manager Aaron Boone said that Rortvedt (oblique) will "significantly" increase his hitting activity Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Rortvedt underwent recent imaging that showed no lingering signs of the strained right oblique that shut him down early in spring training, so he'll begin ramping up in preparation for making his season debut. The young catcher had already been cleared fully for defensive work, so he could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment within a few days if he responds well to facing live pitching. Rortvedt is seemingly on track to come off the 10-day injured list at some point in the second half of April.

Jansen is out of Monday's lineup against the Yankees due to soreness in his left side, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen picked up the injury over the weekend on a swing, and he's currently being evaluated to determine the extent of the injury and will undergo an MRI, per Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca. Alejandro Kirk is starting behind the plate Monday while fellow catcher Zack Collins serves as the designated hitter.

Jansen will sit Monday against the Yankees.

Jansen started two of Toronto's first three games, grabbing two hits and a homer on both occasions. Alejandro Kirk will catch Alek Manoah on Monday.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

D'Arnaud will get his second day off of the season after he went 3-for-12 with a home run, an additional run and four RBI while starting in three of Atlanta's four games against Cincinnati to open the campaign. William Contreras replaced d'Arnaud in the lineup for Saturday's 2-1 win, but it'll be Manny Pina who gets the nod behind the dish Monday while d'Arnaud rests.

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

The lefty-hitting Narvaez will be on the bench for the second time in the Brewers' first four games, with both of his absences from the lineup coming against left-handed starting pitchers. The Brewers haven't formally announced that Narvaez will occupy the large side of a platoon at catcher with the switch-hitting Victor Caratini, but even when he picks up starts against southpaws, Narvaez will likely slot near the bottom of the order.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and an additional RBI in Sunday's win over the Mariners.

The former Yankees backstop went hitless Friday and didn't play Saturday, but he recorded a strong game in this one -- he was responsible for more than half of the team's runs while also going yard for the first time in 2022. Sanchez is expected to play a backup catcher role, but he should still see plenty of at-bats as a designated hitter.

Perez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Perez started behind the plate in each of the Bucs' first three games, going 3-for-10 with two walks and two runs. He looks to be the Pirates' clear No. 1 backstop, though he'll still likely be subject to at least one or two days off per week. Andrew Knapp will replace Perez in the lineup for the first time in 2022, catching for Zach Thompson in the series finale in St. Louis.

Jansen went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rangers.

That's now two starts and two homers to begin the season for Jansen, who is looking to prove he deserves the bulk of the work behind the plate even with Alejandro Kirk on the roster as well. Jansen's power has never been in question, only his ability to get to it in games, but if he can improve on his career .215 batting average, a breakout campaign could follow.

Knizner will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Pirates, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals are wrapping up their season-opening series against Pittsburgh with a game that begins at 2:15 p.m. ET, so Knizner will check in behind the dish as manager Oliver Marmol looks to extend a breather to top backstop Yadier Molina. Knizer went unused over the Cardinals' first three games while Molina started each time.

Heim went 2-for-3 with home run, three RBI and a second run scored in Sunday's 12-6 win over the Blue Jays.

Heim extended the Rangers' three-run lead in the seventh inning with a two-run homer. He made his second consecutive start behind the dish, as primary backstop Mitch Garver, who sat Saturday's day game following a Friday night game, served as the designated hitter Sunday. Texas manager Chris Woodward said during spring training that he will manage Garver's workload by having him play first base and DH. That suggests Heim's in line for a healthy dose of starts, although the young catcher had a mere .583 OPS over 326 career MLB plate appearances in 2020 and 2021.