MLB Player News

Brannon is on the 60-day injured list with Single-A Salem as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear when the 19-year-old slugging catcher had the procedure, but he will miss at least two months. Brannon hit .292 with eight strikeouts and three home runs in six games at Single-A last season.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a hit-by-pitch in Monday's 6-2 win over the Padres.

Contreras' first-inning blast gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead, which was enough support for Kyle Gibson. It's been a bit of a slow start to the year for Contreras -- he's 2-for-14 with two walks, five strikeouts and two runs scored over four contests. Facing the Dodgers' formidable pitching staff in the first series likely played a role in that, so he should be expected to hit just fine over a larger sample.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Orioles.

Perez went 0-for-7 over the first two games of the season, but he's now homered twice and driven in six runs over the last two contests. The catcher is dialed in and has little risk of losing playing time -- he's started behind the dish three times and played at first base in his other game. Perez could also be the designated hitter on occasion, but manager Matt Quatraro looks committed to getting his bat in the lineup a vast majority of the time.

Vazquez is starting at catcher and batting ninth Tuesday in Milwaukee.

He and Ryan Jeffers have split the catching duties in the first four games of the season, with Jeffers drawing an additional start at designated hitter. Vazquez is the far less desirable fantasy option of the two, but the 33-year-old should have a much better season in 2024 than during a 2023 campaign in which he produced a .598 OPS.

Jeffers is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Brewers.

It's the first day off this season for Jeffers, who had started two games at catcher and one at designated hitter in the first three games. Christian Vazquez will do the catching for Louie Varland on Tuesday.

Adams went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Pirates.

Getting his first start of the season while Keibert Ruiz slotted in as the DH, Adams tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning by launching a Roansy Contreras fastball over the fence in left-center field. The 27-year-old posted a useful .273/.331/.476 slash line over 158 plate appearances in 2023 with four homers and 21 RBI, and while his playing time will be limited again behind Ruiz, Adams has a bit more upside than a typical end-game catcher in a NL-only format.

Sanchez is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Twins.

Sanchez started at designated hitter against a left-hander on Opening Day, but he's now been on the bench for each of the next three games versus righties. It's not a good sign for fantasy managers who rostered him as a second catcher. Rhys Hoskins is at DH on Tuesday, with Jake Bauers handling first base.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a double in Monday's loss to the Tigers.

The 22-year-old has started all four games to begin the season, three behind the plate and one at DH, and he's banged out an extra-base hit in three straight, going 6-for-11 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and three runs. Alvarez has been one of the few bright spots in the early going for the 0-4 Mets, and after slugging 25 home runs as a rookie over 123 games in 2023, he's looking to add more consistent production to his profile and boost his .209/.284/.437 slash line.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Monday's win over the Blue Jays.

Diaz tacked on a third multi-hit game to open up the 2024 campaign, with both knocks coming on solo homers Monday. The backstop ranks second in runs batted in for Houston and is slashing .444/.500/.778 in five games and 18 at-bats -- an impressive start after putting up 23 homers and a .282 average in 2023.

Kelly went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's 5-0, 10-inning win over the Mets.

The game was tied 0-0 entering extra innings, but the Tigers scraped together two runs before Kelly's big blast put the contest out of reach. The 29-year-old is off to a good start with a 1.278 OPS across three games. Kelly and Jake Rogers both started in this one, with the latter serving as DH, and the two should continue to split time behind the plate in Detroit moving forward.