MLB Player News

Barnhart will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

Barnhart sits for just the second time this season. Curt Casali will take over behind the plate.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 13-10 win over the Cubs.

He took Jose Quintana deep in the third inning for his first homer of the season, one of five by Milwaukee hitters on the night. Grandal has started six of eight games so far, and a large workload in a potent Brewers offense should lead to big power numbers for the 30-year-old backstop.

Contreras went 1-for-1 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 13-10 loss to the Brewers.

He was also hit by a pitch. After hitting only 10 homers in 138 games last season, Contreras is off to a quick start in that department in 2019, going yard twice in six starts.

Plawecki went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Getting his second start of the season, Plawecki made his first hit with Cleveland count. The 28-year-old remains firmly behind Roberto Perez on the depth chart, but Perez's limitations at the plate could eventually open the door for Plawecki to move into something closer to a timeshare if he heats up.

Jansen is not in the lineup Friday against Cleveland.

Jansen has barely had the edge in starts behind the plate over Luke Maile so far this season, getting the call in just five of nine games (with an additional start as a designated hitter). The fact that he's gone just 2-for-21 at the plate so far this season isn't helping his case to expand his role.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Friday against Arizona, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Vazquez remains the clear starter behind the plate in Boston despite hitting just .190 to start the year. He's gotten the nod six times in the first nine games. Blake Swihart takes his turn Friday.

Collins went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a triple in a 12-11 win over Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Collins had a .786 OPS with 15 home runs for Double-A Birmingham last year, which prompted his promotion to start the year. Offense hasn't been an issue for the 24-year-old, who has moved slowly through the minors primarily to improve his defense. Along with his impressive performance at the plate Thursday, he also surrendered one passed ball and one stolen base. Unless Collins can sustain a torrid pace at the plate or the White Sox overlook his defensive woes, he should remain the everyday catcher in Triple-A Charlotte.

Mejia is catching and hitting eighth for San Diego against the Cardinals on Friday.

Mejia will slot in for Austin Hedges against St. Louis, the third start of the year for the 23-year-old backstop. He went 2-for-4 in his last start on Tuesday and is 3-for-9 with a double and an RBI to start the season.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barnes will yield catching duties to Russell Martin once again as the pair has split playing time fairly evenly so far this year. Barnes is off to a strong start in 2019 as he is 6-for-15 with one double and two home runs.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Hedges has started five of seven games behind the plate entering Friday and is 4-for-13 with two walks and one RBI. Francisco Mejia receives the starting nod Friday for the Padres in his absence.