MLB Player News

Bethancourt isn't in the Marlins' lineup Saturday against the Cardinals.

Bethancourt went 0-for-3 in Thursday's series opener and remains hitless through 13 plate appearances to begin the season. Nick Fortes will get the nod behind the dish instead and bat ninth.

Contreras (hand) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Contreras sat out Thursday's series opener versus Miami after getting hit in the hand by a pitch Wednesday. He managed to avoid a fracture and will now return as St. Louis' DH while Ivan Herrera starts behind the dish.

Rogers is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Carson Kelly will draw the start at catcher and bat ninth Saturday against Oakland right-hander Paul Blackburn. Rogers has struggled at the plate to start the season, posting just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 times over 16 plate appearances.

Smith went 4-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI in Friday's loss to the Cubs.

Smith continues to hit the ball well early in the campaign, as he's slashing .459/.488/.568 through 41 plate appearances. Though he's yet to go deep, the All-Star catcher has collected four doubles and eight RBI. Smith and teammate Mookie Betts are tied for the MLB lead with 17 hits.

McGuire went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

McGuire started for the fourth time in the last five games which is a surprising development. In spring training, Connor Wong was the presumed primary catcher, but he's made just three starts. McGuire is 6-for-19 with two extra-base hits and three RBI over seven appearances.

The Cubs signed Sanchez to a minor-league deal Friday, per the MLB transaction report.

Sanchez joined the Pirates on a one-year contract in December, but he was DFA'd by the team March 28 after going 2-for-16 in spring training. The veteran catcher will now provide organizational depth behind the plate as a member of the Cubs.

O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Friday's loss to Boston.

O'Hoppe's first home run of the year was a game-tying grand slam to dead center in the sixth inning. The skilled catcher is slashing .450/.542/.750 with three extra-base knocks and six RBI through 24 plate appearances. O'Hoppe has multiple hits in three of his seven appearances this season.

Perez went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk in Friday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

Perez turned in his third three-hit game of the season, but it was his walk that set up the go-ahead run -- he was replaced by pinch runner Dairon Blanco, who stole second and scored on an MJ Melendez single in the eighth inning. Perez is batting .387 with two home runs, nine RBI, one double and four runs scored over 33 plate appearances for a strong start to 2024.

Murphy (oblique) has yet to resume swinging a bat, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Murphy is a week removed from suffering a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is not feeling well enough yet to be cleared to swing. He is eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list April 9, but it would appear highly unlikely that he will be ready by then. Travis d'Arnaud is filling in at catcher for Atlanta while Murphy is on the shelf.

Stephenson is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

It looks to be a routine day off for the Reds' starting catcher. Luke Maile will be behind the plate Friday while Stephenson gets some rest.