MLB Player News

Diaz (illness) was reinstated from the injured list Sunday.

A viral infection stole all of Diaz's spring training and forced him to spend the first few weeks of the season getting up to speed on a rehab assignment. He looks to be good to go after hitting .412 in nine minor-league games. He'll take the backup catcher job behind Francisco Cervelli, with Jacob Stallings (neck) heading to the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Gomes is not starting Sunday against the Marlins.

The balance of playing time seems to be shifting slightly behind the plate in Washington. After starting eight of the first 12 games, Gomes has now been on the bench for five of the last eight. Kurt Suzuki gets the call in his place.

Garver is not in Sunday's lineup against the Orioles.

He hit a pair of home runs in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, but will take a seat for Sunday's day game. Willians Astudillo will start behind the dish, hitting second.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Rangers.

The home run was just Stassi's second hit in 22 at-bats. He showed some promise at the plate during the first half of the 2018 season, but opponents caught up to him and his playing time dwindled over the second half of the season. Stassi's appeared in just seven games in 2019 and will have a tough time reaching the 88 games he played in 2018.

Garver went 3-for-6 with a pair of home runs in Saturday's 16-7 victory over the Orioles.

Serving as the leadoff hitter in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Garver hit a three-run homer off Mike Wright in the third inning and added a solo shot in the eighth inning off Branden Kline. The homers were his fourth and fifth of the season. The effort lifts Garver's batting average to an impressive .424 for the season.

Mejia is starting at catcher and hitting second against the Reds on Saturday.

The 23-year-old backstop hasn't been able to get it going at the dish, hitting just .143 over 28 at-bats, but he'll slot in for Austin Hedges and man the two-spot in the order Saturday. Though he wants to get on track offensively, he also needs to be more effective in stopping the run game, as the Rockies stole five bases on him in his last start on April 17.

Hedges is not starting Saturday against the Reds.

Hedges remains the clear starter behind the plate in San Diego, starting 14 of 22 games. Francisco Mejia gets the call Saturday.

Perez will start at catcher and bat ninth Saturday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Perez will be behind the plate for the second day in a row following Mike Zunino's placement on the paternity list. Zunino is scheduled to rejoin Tampa Bay no later than Monday, so Perez's heightened workload will come to an end quickly.

Barnes is not starting Saturday against Milwaukee.

Barnes has just three hits in his last 10 games. Rocky Gale gets the start in his absence.

Perez is out of the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Braves.

The Indians will have Kevin Plawecki catch the afternoon contest, while Perez presumably checks in behind the plate for the nightcap. Perez is slated to work in a battery with Trevor Bauer for that contest.