MLB Player News

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's victory over the Tigers.

The right-handed hitter smashed a solo shot in the ninth inning off Tyler Alexander. The 28-year-old slashed .145/.231/.290 in 2020 and looks to turn his hitting around in 2021.

Garver went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Brewers.

Garver had a brutal Opening Day -- 0-for-5, three strikeouts -- but he put together a much better stat line in his second game of the year. He restored the Twins' lead at 2-1 with his fifth-inning solo shot. The catcher had just two homers, five RBI and eight runs scored in 23 games in 2020, so he's looking to rebound this year. Garver's split of the playing time with Ryan Jeffers has yet to be determined, thus the former will need to hit well to earn his spot in the lineup.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

Perez got the Royals on the board with his big fly in the sixth inning, which was all the scoring they mustered against Rangers starter Jordan Lyles. The 30-year-old Perez had been mostly quiet while the Royals racked up 25 runs over their first two games. The catcher has collected four runs and two RBI in three games, and he figures to see most of the work behind the dish after signing a four-year, $82 million contract extension March 21.

Heim went 1-for-3 with a stolen base, a double, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Royals.

Heim drew a walk in the fourth inning and stole second base as part of a double-steal with Brock Holt. They both came around to score on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's two-run single. The 25-year-old Heim is expected to be limited to the backup catcher role behind usual starter Jose Trevino. Heim had a modest .211/.268/.211 slash line with five RBI and five runs scored across 41 plate appearances for the Athletics in 2020.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's loss against the Phillies.

D'Arnaud accounted for Atlanta's lone run of the game when he launched a homer in the top of the seventh inning against Zach Eflin -- the only run the right-hander allowed over the course of seven innings. The veteran catcher should remain as the Braves' starting backstop this season, and while he might not repeat what he did in the 2020 shortened campaign when he posted a career-best .919 OPS, he should be a decent fantasy option considering the lack of value at his position across the league.

Nola (finger) has been going through workouts at Petco Park, but it is unclear when he will see game action at the club's alternate training site, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nola is eligible to come off the injured list April 8, but it appears unlikely that he will be ready to go at that time. The backstop fractured his left middle finger during a Cactus League game in mid-March and has since taken swings off a tee. Despite the lack of a clear timeline, Nola's injury isn't expected to keep him out of action for a lengthy period. Victor Caratini will continue to serve as San Diego's primary catcher until Nola returns.

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

Jason Castro will pick up his first start of the season while Maldonado heads to the bench after catching each of the last three days. Though the Astros put up 26 runs in the first three games of the series, Maldonado didn't get in on the act, going just 1-for-13 with six strikeouts over that stretch.

Updating a previous report, Murphy (wrist) will remain out of the lineup for a third straight game Sunday against the Astros, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Though an initial lineup released on MLB.com listed Murphy as the Athletics' starting catcher, those duties will instead fall to Aramis Garcia while Murphy remains on the mend from a bruised right wrist. Per Alex Coffey of The Athletic, manager Bob Melvin said that Murphy didn't feel 100 percent while swinging in the batting cage, but the Athletics think the 26-year-old backstop will need only one more day off before checking back into the lineup. Oakland opens a three-game home series with the Dodgers on Monday.

Murphy (wrist) will start at catcher and bat sixth Sunday against the Astros.

He'll check back into the starting nine for the first time since Opening Day after missing consecutive games due to a right wrist contusion. Provided he comes out of Sunday's contest without issue, he should be in line to make the majority of the starts behind the dish during the Athletics' upcoming six-game week.

Contreras is starting at catcher and batting second in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras led off Saturday's game with Ian Happ out of the lineup, going 0-for-2 with two walks, but he'll bump back to second with Happ back in there Sunday. It's also the third straight start behind the plate for Contreras to start the season, so the Cubs do seem intent on riding their 28-year-old backstop, though he'll likely see an off day fairly soon.