MLB Player News

Maldonado will sit Saturday against the Angels.

Maldonado went 0-for-7 in the first two games of the season. He tied for third in starts behind the plate last season with 118 but will get his first off day of 2022 in just the third game of the year, with Jason Castro set to catch for Justin Verlander.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

The catcher took Casey Mize deep in the top of the sixth inning for his first long ball of the year, scoring Jose Abreu in the process. In 93 games in 2021, Grandal blasted 23 homers and drove in 62 runs while producing a career-high .940 OPS. He'll look to replicate last season's success now in Year 3 with the White Sox.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs in the 5-3 win over the Orioles on Saturday.

The catcher opened the scoring in the contest, notching a single in the bottom of the second inning off of Jordan Lyles and driving in teammate Josh Lowe before later scoring on a Brett Phillips ground out. Mejia busted the game wide open in the following inning, blasting a 2-2 fastball from Lyles over the fence, once again scoring Lowe and putting the Rays up 5-2. The 26-year-old is expected to operate in a timeshare with Mike Zunino behind the plate this season, though Mejia is the better option against right-handers.

Ruiz isn't starting Saturday's game against the Mets, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Ruiz served as a starter in each of the first two games of the season and went 4-for-8 with a double. However, Riley Adams will start behind the dish and bat eighth Saturday.

Smith was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies for undisclosed reasons.

It's unclear if Smith is dealing with an injury or illness or if the Dodgers have simply decided to lighten his workload following an abbreviated spring training. Austin Barnes will take over behind the plate and would step into a starting role if Smith needs to miss time.

Diaz will sit Saturday against the Dodgers.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's season opener. He'll get a rest day already in the second game of the year, with the Rockies seemingly wanting to ease him into the season following an abbreviated spring schedule. Dom Nunez takes over behind the plate.

D'Arnaud will get the day off Saturday against the Reds, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Teams around the league are giving players a few more days off than normal following the condensed spring schedule, especially at the catcher position. D'Arnaud will sit after going 2-for-8 with three RBI in the first two games of the year, with William Contreras taking over behind the plate.

Stephenson will hit the bench Saturday against Atlanta.

Stephenson has a clear role as the Reds' primary catcher this season with Tucker Barnhart now a Tiger, but, like any catcher, he'll get a fair amount of days off. He'll hit the bench after going 2-for-6 with three RBI in the first two games of the year, with Aramis Garcia taking over behind the plate.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a double and a run in a loss to the Phillies on Friday.

Murphy was virtually unstoppable during Cactus League play with a .433 average, and he got the regular season off to a positive start with his two-bagger off Aaron Nola, the only non-home-run extra-base hit for the Athletics on the afternoon. The 27-year-old racked up career highs in home runs (17) and RBI (59) in 2021, but his .216 average and .306 on-base percentage left ample room for improvement.

Jansen is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers.

He went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk on Opening Day and will head to the bench in the day game following the night game. Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher while Raimel Tapia slides into the outfield and Lourdes Gurriel shifts to designated hitter.