MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Contreras (forearm) is likely to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with either Triple-A Memphis or Double-A Springfield, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Contreras reached a meaningful milestone in his recovery from surgery to repair a fractured left forearm by taking batting practice earlier in the weekend, and with the veteran backstop apparently coming out of the workout without any renewed soreness, he looks like he's ready for game action. Because he's been on the shelf since May 8, Contreras could stay on his minor-league rehab assignment throughout the week before potentially returning from the 10-day injured list before the end of June. Once Contreras is activated, he should reclaim the No. 1 catcher's role from Ivan Herrera.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Alvarez will get a breather for the day game Sunday after he started behind the plate Friday and Saturday. Luis Torrens will step in as the Mets' starting catcher in place of Alvarez, who has gone 2-for-14 with two RBI through his first four starts since returning from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Fortes appeared to be taking control of the Marlins' No. 1 catching job earlier this month, but he's fallen back into more of a timeshare with Christian Bethancourt of late, with both backstops having now made two starts apiece over the last four contests. The downturn in playing time comes while Fortes has turned in a .120/.154/.120 slash line through 10 games in June.

Jansen is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Alejandro Kirk will take over behind the plate after Jansen started the first two games of the series. Jansen enjoyed a hot month of May, but his bat has gone cold to begin June; he's just 5-for-35 with two extra-base hits (both doubles) in 11 games so far this month.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Murphy will rest for the series finale after he started behind the plate Friday and Saturday while going 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored. Travis d'Arnaud will garner the start at catcher Sunday.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Even though he served as the Cardinals' designated hitter the last two days rather than catching, Herrera will take a seat for the series finale in Chicago. Masyn Winn will get a day off from playing shortstop and will serve as St. Louis' DH, while Pedro Pages picks up a fourth consecutive start behind the plate. Though Pages' playing time has been trending up of late, he's still holding down a lowly .443 OPS on the season and still looks to be behind Herrera on the depth chart while top backstop Willson Contreras (forearm) is on the shelf.

Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Rangers.

Raleigh has two steals this year, and they've both come over his last 10 games. In that span, he's gone 8-for-35 (.229) with three extra-base hits and 10 RBI. The catcher is slashing .209/.287/.400 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI and 27 runs scored over 67 contests this year. Raleigh is unlikely to ever hit for a good average, but he has the ability to make an impact with power and run production, especially when hitting in the heart of the order.

Kelly went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 13-5 win over the Astros.

Kelly has logged three multi-hit efforts over six games in June, going 7-for-22 (.318) this month. The homer was his first since May 26. The veteran catcher is slashing .246/.326/.364 with three homers, 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, three doubles and a triple over 51 contests this season. Kelly and Jake Rogers continue to see a fairly even split of playing time behind the plate, though Kelly has had the stronger bat in 2024.

O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-3 win over the Giants on Saturday.

O'Hoppe singled in the fourth inning then tied the game with a two-run home run off Keaton Winn in the sixth. O'Hoppe has gone 15-for-29 during an eight-game hit streak and now has an extra-base hit in six straight contests. On the season, O'Hoppe is slashing .284/.335/.476 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 225 plate appearances.

The Pirates recalled Delay from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Delay joined the Pirates in Colorado ahead of Saturday's game and should split catching duties with Yasmani Grandal while Henry Davis (concussion) is sidelined. Delay has posted a .523 OPS over 34 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.