MLB Player News

Alvarez was removed from Thursday's game in the first inning for Low-A St. Lucie after a collision at home plate, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The catcher limped off the field, but initial reports suggest the injury isn't serious. Alvarez was off to a fantastic start to the season, slashing .545/.656/.818 through 11 at-bats with a homer, three doubles and a 9:3 BB:K, and a promotion to High-A this summer seems almost inevitable if the injury doesn't derail his momentum.

Mejia (ribs) is feeling "significantly better," according to manager Kevin Cash, and the backstop could be activated Sunday when first eligible, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia was officially placed on the injured list May 8 retroactive to two days prior, which indeed makes Sunday his first opportunity to return to action. The 25-year-old was particularly standing out for his offensive contributions prior to his injury, slashing .300/.348/.450 across 67 plate appearances while alternating time behind the dish with Mike Zunino.

Stephenson went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during Thursday's loss to the Rockies.

Stephenson finally got the Reds on the board with an eighth-inning long ball while pinch hitting against Lucas Gilbreath. Unfortunately, the deficit was still too much for Cincinnati to overcome. Stephenson now has two homers this season while batting .305/.349/.441.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Higashioka's hold on the No. 1 catching job appears to be shaky, as he's now sitting for the third time in six games. Gary Sanchez, who hit a solo home run in his last start Tuesday, will spell Higashioka behind the plate.

Trevino (triceps) will start at catcher and bat ninth Thursday against the Astros.

Trevino is back in action after missing Texas' previous two games with right triceps soreness. While he'll be getting the starting nod Thursday, Trevino still appears to be stuck in a timeshare with Jonah Heim behind the dish.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado had started six of the Astros' last seven games, so manager Dusty Baker may just have wanted to give the veteran backstop some extra maintenance. Jason Castro will catch Cristian Javier in the series opener.

Perez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Detroit.

Perez opened the scoring by knocking in Whit Merrifield in the first inning. Kansas City mustered just five baserunners in the last eight innings, including a sixth-inning single by Perez that was promptly erased when Jorge Soler grounded into a double play. Through 35 games, Perez is slashing .275/.310/.493 with seven home runs, 19 RBI and 16 runs scored. His multi-hit effort Wednesday ended an 0-for-11 skid.

Maile was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Maile will head back to the minors after Omar Narvaez (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list as part of a corresponding move. Maile appeared in eight games during his time in the majors and hit .211 with a run and an RBI.

Realmuto's (knee) placement on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday was not due to a positive test for the virus but instead due to an abundance of caution regarding what appears to be a non-COVID illness, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Realmuto is reportedly dealing with a stomach ache and fever, something which manager Joe Girardi noted wouldn't be much cause for concern during a normal season but which necessitates a trip to the COVID-19 injured list this year even without a positive test. Assuming Realmuto continues to test negative, he shouldn't miss much time, though he's not flying with the team for the weekend series in Toronto. That suggests it's likely he won't play again until Tuesday against the Marlins. The timing of the illness could certainly be worse for the Phillies, as Realmuto was already banged up after taking a foul ball off his knee Tuesday and may have been set to miss a couple more games even without the illness.

Narvaez (hamstring) has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and is starting Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Narvaez suffered a left hamstring strain April 30 and spent just under two weeks on the injured list. He'll start behind the dish and bat sixth against the Cardinals on Thursday and should reclaim his role as the primary catcher going forward.