MLB Player News

Murphy will sit Saturday against San Francisco.

Murphy started behind the plate on Opening Day but has since gone on to sit twice in a row. Luis Torrens will make his second straight start in his absence.

Smith will be on the bench Saturday against the Rockies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The Dodgers made it clear over the offseason that Smith wouldn't find himself in the lineup all that more often than Austin Barnes this season. That's been the case through the first three games of the year, with Smith starting just once and Barnes starting twice. Smith went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBI Friday, but even that wasn't enough to keep him in the lineup.

Barnes (hand) will catch and bat eighth Saturday against the Rockies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Barnes left Thursday's season opener with a cut on his hand following a collision at home plate. He didn't appear in Friday's contest but is ready to go again Saturday, starting ahead of Will Smith for the second time in the first three games.

Diaz will sit Saturday against the Dodgers, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Diaz started behind the plate on Opening Day but now finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row. Dom Nunez will get another start in his absence.

Garver is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Garver started behind the plate on Opening Day, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Ryan Jeffers gets the nod Saturday. The expected playing-time split between the two catchers may take a few more games to figure out, but the fact that Jeffers is already starting the second game of the year despite the Twins getting Friday off may hint toward something close to a 50-50 split.

Murphy (wrist) will sit again Saturday against the Astros, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Murphy was hit by a pitch in his wrist in Thursday's season opener and was scratched from Friday's lineup. He'll miss a second straight game Saturday, with Aramis Garcia getting another start behind the plate. Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, Murphy is feeling better and could pinch hit Saturday.

Mejia went 1-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a walk in a win over the Marlins on Friday.

The backup backstop didn't have to wait long to draw his first start of the season, and his ninth-inning sac fly gave the Rays some valuable breathing room by extending their lead to two runs. The switch-hitting Mejia should see his fair share of starts against right-handed pitching this season and could potentially carve out a solid swath of playing time if he proves productive at the plate.

Contreras is starting at catcher and batting first in Saturday's game against the Pirates.

It's not every day that a catcher bats leadoff, but Contreras was already batting second for the Cubs, and he'll now move up a spot with Ian Happ out of Saturday's lineup. Contreras doesn't offer a ton of speed atop the lineup, though he's good at getting on base and could score a handful of runs if the Chicago bats behind him are able to get going after a sluggish season opener Thursday.

Vazquez is not in Saturday's lineup against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kevin Plawecki will start behind the dish and bat ninth. Vazquez went 0-for-2 with a walk in Boston's opener Friday.

Smith went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 11-6 win over the Rockies.

Making his first start of the season, Smith took full advantage of Coors Field's expansive outfield. Austin Barnes injured his hand Opening Day but is still expected to be back behind the plate Saturday, and the only thing standing between Smith and a huge 2021 campaign might be the fact that he's stuck in a timeshare.