MLB Player News

Smith will head to the bench Tuesday against Oakland, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers made it clear over the offseason that Smith would handle a lighter workload than is typical for a starting catcher, and that's indeed been the case thus far. Smith will sit for the third time in the first six games of the year, with Austin Barnes continuing to serve as Clayton Kershaw's personal catcher. Smith has been everything he's supposed to be when available, going 5-for-10 with a pair of homers, two doubles and four walks, but the playing-time concerns aren't going away anytime soon.

Trevino is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

Trevino has picked up at least one hit in all three of his starts so far, good for a .385 average (albeit with four strikeouts) in the early going. Nonetheless, Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and bat eighth Tuesday.

Diaz is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

After starting on Opening Day, Diaz has gotten into the lineup just once in the last four games. Both of his starts to date have come against southpaws, while Dom Nunez has handled the starts against righties like Tuesday's starter for Arizona, Luke Weaver. It's possible the two will continue to platoon going forward, which would leave Diaz on the bench for more than half of the Rockies' games.

Jansen (knee) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers.

He's day-to-day after exiting Monday's game after getting hit on the knee by a pitch. Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher and bat ninth.

Sanchez is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Orioles.

This is Sanchez's first day off of the young season. He went 3-for-7 with a pair of home runs in the first two games of the season, then 0-for-8 with four strikeouts over the next two. Kyle Higashioka will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

The Rays claimed Grullon off waivers from the Reds on Tuesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Though Grullon will tentatively replace reliever Chaz Roe (shoulder) on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster, he'll presumably be optioned to the Rays' alternate training site since the team already has three catchers on the active roster. Grullon has seen some action at the big-league level with the Phillies and Red Sox, appearing in five games across the past two seasons.

The Nationals placed Gomes on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Gomes is one of nine Nationals players on the 40-man roster who will begin the campaign on the IL as a result of the team's recent COVID-19 outbreak. Prior reports have suggested that only four of the players in question have confirmed positive tests, but it's uncertain whether Gomes is one of the infected players or merely a close contact. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, players that tested positive will be eligible to return after 10 days in quarantine, while those ruled out through contact tracing can return after a week. With Alex Avila joining Gomes on the COVID-19 IL to begin the season, the Nationals will be without their top two catchers. Jonathan Lucroy and Tres Barrera were both added to the Opening Day roster as replacements, and Lucroy is slated to catch Max Scherzer in Tuesday's season opener versus Atlanta, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.

Garver is not starting Tuesday against the Tigers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Garver will sit for the second straight game, even with this contest coming in the early afternoon. Ryan Jeffers will make his third start in the season's first five games in his absence.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 6-0 win over the Mariners.

Grandal's 150th career home run in the second inning held up as the game-winning hit. The catcher has a .922 OPS and five RBI to start the season, ranking second on the White Sox in each category only to the improbable Yermin Mercedes.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a home run and three walks during Monday's win over the Athletics.

Smith reached safely in four of his six plate appearances while also launching his second long ball of the season, and he's now hit safely in his last three contests while going deep in back-to-back contests. He's undoubtedly providing solid offense from a position where the elite offensive alternatives are quite limited.