MLB Player News

Murphy is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Angels.

Murphy started four of the past five games and will head to the bench after going 3-for-14 with one run and one RBI. Austin Allen will work behind the plate Tuesday for the A's.

Smith is not starting Tuesday against the Padres.

Austin Barnes will start behind the plate Tuesday. Smith still has the slight edge in starts this season, catching 10 games compared to eight for Barnes.

Mejia remains on the bench Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Mejia and Austin Hedges, who gets the call behind the plate Tuesday, have now each been in the lineup nine times in the season's first 18 games. Mejia has just a .429 OPS this season, though that's still better than Hedges' .375 mark.

Narvaez is not starting Tuesday against the Twins.

Narvaez is the clear starting catcher in Milwaukee, though he hasn't seen a particularly heavy workload. He's started nine times behind the plate this season, while Manny Pina, who starts Tuesday, has gotten the nod six times.

Barnhart will sit Tuesday against the Royals.

Barnhart finds himself on the bench for the third time in the last four games, with Curt Casali again starting behind the plate. Barnhart has hit just .167/.200/.167 through his first 25 plate appearances.

Perez went 2-for-5 with a two-run single and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Monday.

Operating out of the bottom of the order, Perez came through with a clutch single in the fourth inning that brought the Rays to within a run after an early 4-0 deficit. The backup catcher has made his presence felt with the bat in recent games, as he provided what turned out to be a game-winning sacrifice fly Friday against the Yankees and then laced a walkoff single versus New York on Sunday as well. Given that primary backstop Mike Zunino is now slashing an unsightly .097/.222/.226 over his first 13 games, it's conceivable the left-handed hitting Perez sees more opportunities against right-handed pitching with the short season restricting how long managers can give struggling players a chance to break out of slumps.

Gomes went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI in Monday's 16-4 rout of the Mets.

It's been a sluggish start to the season for Gomes -- the hits, runs and RBI were all his first in four games -- but like many Nats hitters, his bat woke up at the start of the team's road trip. If the 33-year-old can put together another good performance or two, he could cut into Kurt Suzuki's playing time behind the plate.

Hedges went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Dodgers.

Hedges has been sharing the playing time at catcher with Francisco Mejia, and Hedges hasn't done enough offensively to become the team's primary backstop -- he has only hit .125 in 26 at-bats.

Nola (hand) went 1-for-5 in Monday's 10-2 win over the Rangers.

Nola missed two games with the hand injury, but he returned Monday. He's hit safely in his last four starts, going 7-for-16 in that span. The 30-year-old catcher is hitting .308/.372/.538 with a homer, seven RBI and four runs scored in 12 contests this year. With Tom Murphy (foot) on the injured list, Nola figures to see most of the playing time behind the dish.

Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-4 win over the Giants.

Maldonado's first homer of the year gave the Astros a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning. He's picked up eight RBI, four runs scored and a .194 batting average in 13 contests this season. The 33-year-old will likely continue to see most of the time behind the dish