MLB Player News

Maldonado isn't starting Monday against the Rangers.

Maldonado will get a day off after he went 1-for-8 with a double, two runs, two walks and seven strikeouts in his last three appearances. Jason Castro will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Plawecki (illness) is back with the Red Sox on Monday after a stint on the COVID-19 injured list, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki tested positive for the virus last Monday, but he's evidently now over his symptoms and has tested negative. He'll return to his role as Christian Vazquez's backup behind the plate.

Jansen (oblique) has begun baseball activities but is not yet ready to swing, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Jansen has been out for two weeks with an oblique strain that will reportedly cost him an extended absence. He's reportedly slightly behind Teoscar Hernandez (oblique), who's expected to begin live batting practice within the next few days. That leaves Jansen with a timeline that's still somewhat ambiguous, but he's at least taking steps in the right direction.

McCann will sit Monday against the Cardinals.

McCann seems to be barely ahead of Tomas Nido on the depth chart at the moment, as the pair have alternated starts behind the plate for the last eight games. McCann hasn't made a very good case for a true starting role, as he's hitting .125/.237/.250 on the year.

Casali will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Brewers.

Casali has now picked up five starts behind the plate over the Giants' last 10 games, with nominal No. 1 catcher Joey Bart receiving the same workload. Manager Gabe Kapler hasn't suggested that the two backstops will be deployed in a timeshare all season, but Casali at least looks as though he'll play more frequently than the typical No. 2 catcher. Casali has yet to offer much from a fantasy perspective this season, as he enters Monday's game with a .158/.200/.211 slash line and 45 percent strikeout rate across 20 plate appearances.

Bart is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.

Bart and Curt Casali will alternate turns behind the dish for the 10th consecutive game. Manager Gabe Kapler hasn't suggested that the two backstops will work in a timeshare moving forward, so Bart can probably be viewed as the nominal No. 1 option for the time being.

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

Narvaez is one of several lefty-hitting regulars in the Milwaukee lineup who will head to the bench Monday with southpaw Sam Long toeing the rubber for San Francisco. Victor Caratini will check in behind the dish for Narvaez, who went 0-for-7 over his two starts during the Brewers' weekend series in Philadelphia to sink his season batting average to .212.

Rutschman (triceps) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen this week.

Rutschman's recovery has gone smoothly so far, with the catcher making enough progress to get into game action. He remains assigned to Triple-A Norfolk as he continues to heal. Rutschman, the Orioles' top prospect, will likely need multiple games to get back up to speed, and he'll likely see a little more time with Norfolk before presumably making his major-league debut sometime this season.

Collins went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Astros.

Collins poked a single in the second inning but did all of his damage in the sixth, taking Luis Garcia deep for a three-run shot to tie the game at 5-5. The 27-year-old is enjoying a strong start to the year, slashing .303/.324/.636 with three home runs and seven RBI through 34 plate appearances.

Maile (hamstring) has gone 9-for-16 with two home runs, two doubles and four walks through the first six games of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus.

After sustaining the left hamstring injury in the penultimate week of spring training, Maile missed out on the Guardians' Opening Day roster. He was cleared to return to action in the minors April 15 and has proven his health as a hitter, but the Guardians may still want him to log some more innings behind the plate before bringing him back from the 10-day injured list. Whenever he's activated, Maile will likely replace Bryan Lavastida as the top backup behind No. 1 catcher Austin Hedges.