The Arizona Diamondbacks are confident that catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) will have a minimum stint on the 10-day injured list, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Moreno still has boxes to check off with his sprained left thumb, notably catching right-hander Zac Gallen's (hamstring) bullpen session on Thursday and playing an Arizona Complex League game over the weekend. He has been hitting off a tee and playing catch. Barring a setback the rest of this week, Moreno is in line to come off the IL for the start of a series in Los Angeles against the division-rival Dodgers next Tuesday. Tucker Barnhart and Jose Herrera have stepped up with Moreno hurt, with Barnhart getting starter's reps. Lovullo said on Tuesday that catching is the bigger hurdle for Moreno than hitting, specifically the ability to square up pitches.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) will catch Zac Gallen's bullpen session on Thursday. Manager Torey Lovullo said before Tuesday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins that he's optimistic Moreno will be able to return after missing the minimum 10 days on the injured list. Moreno sprained his left thumb on a foul tip in this past Friday's contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it sounds like he could return to the D-backs during the first week of July and skip a brief minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy managers in shallow leagues should be able to find better stashes than the 24-year-old contact-hitting backstop, who's slashing an uninspiring .230/.313/.346 with three home runs, 11 doubles, 26 RBI, and 23 runs scored in 217 trips to the plate as Arizona's everyday catcher in 2024.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, June 22. Moreno left Friday's game early after suffering a thumb injury. Fortunately, the x-rays came back negative, but Arizona is leaning on the side of caution for their young backstop and is sitting him for at least the next 10 days. In a corresponding move, the Diamondbacks promoted Jose Herrera from Triple-A to serve as the backup catcher to now-starter Tucker Barnhart. Fantasy managers should not be too concerned about Moreno's status, as it looks like he avoided a major injury. Through 61 games this season, the 24-year-old has struggled with a .230 AVG which is a significant drop compared to his .284 and .319 AVG he held the previous two seasons. Barnhart is worth adding in NL-only formats for the time being, as he should be in line to start most games and could be a sneaky play in DFS throughout the next week.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) left Friday's game early against the Philadelphia Phillies with a sprained left thumb. Before departing, Moreno at least was able to do damage for his fantasy managers, going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the third inning and a run scored. He was replaced behind the plate by Tucker Barnhart in the sixth inning. It's unclear exactly how serious the 24-year-old's injury is, but we wouldn't be surprised at all if it requires a trip to the injured list. For however long Moreno is out, Barnhart would serve as Arizona's primary backstop. Moreno excelled in his first year in the desert in 2023 with a .284 average and also won a Gold Glove, but he's been struggling offensively in 2024, as he entered Friday's contest with a .223/.308/.324 line with only two homers and 24 RBI in 60 games played.UPDATE: Manager Torey Lovullo said X-rays were negative on Moreno's thumb.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is out of the lineup Saturday night against the Miami Marlins. Moreno will take a seat on the bench in favor of veteran Tucker Barnhart, who will bat eighth. Moreno is hitting .228 with one home run, 17 RBI and 13 runs scored this season. The young catcher has outstanding rates of 14.1 K% and 12.7 BB%, but his BABIP is only .265 thus far. Expect better numbers from Moreno with continued playing time. Moreno was 0-3 in the series opener on Friday night.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno went 1-for-2 in the batter's box on Monday with three walks and his first home run of the season. In 33 games this season, Moreno has a .248/.350/.356 slash line with a stellar 15:14 BB:K. The 24-year-old launched only seven home runs last season and looks to settle in around that number again this campaign. However, while Moreno lacks in power, he possesses excellent contact skills and a strong eye at the plate. Currently, Moreno has a 12.0% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate, which places him in the top 96th and 86th percentile, respectively, of all qualified hitters. He remains a solid contributor for batting average in standard leagues and should remain rostered in most formats.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (illness) is back behind the plate and is batting seventh on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Graham Ashcraft. Moreno had the day off on Sunday against the San Diego Padres and also sat out the series opener on Tuesday against the Reds while being under the weather, but the 24-year-old backstop is feeling good enough to play on Wednesday. Moreno has yet to clear the fences so far in 2024 and is currently hitting .241/.340/.322 with five doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and nine runs scored in 100 plate appearances over 29 games played. He has gone hitless in just two career at-bats against Ashcraft.

Updating a previous report, Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (illness) is under the weather and is getting the day off on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The hope is that Moreno will be back in the lineup on Wednesday. He's available off the bench on Tuesday, Lovullo said. It's the second straight day that Moreno will be on the bench, as he was also given the day off in the series finale on Sunday against the San Diego Padres. Tucker Barnhart got the start behind the dish and is hitting eighth in the order against Reds right-hander Frankie Montas, who is making his first start since coming off the injured list. The 24-year-old Moreno is hitting .241 (21-for-87) with 14 RBI, but he has yet to clear the fences in 2024.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. Tucker Barnhart will do the catching for right-hander Zac Gallen and will hit eighth against Reds right-hander Frankie Montas. It's the second straight game that Moreno will take a seat on the bench in favor of Barnhart. The D-backs are just trying to give the young catcher some extra rest early in the season. The 24-year-old should be back in there on Wednesday. Through his first 87 at-bats of the year, he's hitting .241/.340/.322 with no home runs and 14 RBI. Barnhart is hitting .750 in four career at-bats against Montas but will be a low-upside play in DFS at the bottom of Arizona's lineup.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (mouth) is back behind the plate and is batting seventh in the lineup on Friday against the San Diego Padres and right-hander Dylan Cease. Moreno had a dental procedure the other day and was held out of lineup on Wednesday, but he's back in there on Friday and is good to go for the series opener against the division-rival Padres. The 24-year-old backstop will be looking to get going offensively this weekend after starting his second year in Arizona with a disappointing .238/.344/.325 slash line with no home runs, 13 RBI and nine runs scored in 93 plate appearances and 27 games played. He has hit just .143 (2-for-14) in the last week and is going up against a tough pitcher in his first game back.

The Arizona Diamondbacks scratched catcher Gabriel Moreno from Wednesday's lineup against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. There's no word yet from the D-backs as to whether or not Moreno is dealing with an injury, but Tucker Barnhart is now catching left-hander Jordan Montgomery and batting ninth on Wednesday. Until more is known, consider Moreno day-to-day with a day off on Thursday ahead of Friday's series opener at home versus the visiting San Diego Padres. The 24-year-old former top prospect is slashing a weak .238/.344/.325 with six extra-base hits, 13 RBI, and nine runs scored as Arizona's primary backstop during the 2024 regular season.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The young backstop will get the day off after going 0-for-6 in the first two games of this series. Tucker Barnhart will make the start behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Logan Gilbert on Sunday.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is on the bench for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants and left-hander Kyle Harrison. Moreno started and went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs, and three RBI as part of a massive 17-1 blowout win over the Giants but will get a break in a day game following a night game on Friday. The young backstop is hitting .241 without a homer on the season but his impressive 14.3% BB% is roughly double his tiny 7.9% K% across his first 63 trips to the plate on the young season. Moreno has dealt with a thumb injury that cost him a couple of starts earlier in the week but he is back to health and is a batting average-first fantasy asset.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) is back behind the plate and is batting sixth in the lineup on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants and right-hander Logan Webb. Moreno injured his right thumb on a wild pitch on Monday against the Chicago Cubs and was scratched from the starting lineup on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The 24-year-old did appear as a defensive replacement late in Tuesday's extra-inning game, though. Moreno is still looking for his first home run of the year while going 11-for-46 (.239) in his first 16 games of the 2024 season. Webb isn't the greatest of matchups for those setting DFS lineups, but don't ignore the fact that Moreno is currently hitting .444 in nine career at-bats against Webb.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) was scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs in the series finale. Moreno suffered a right-thumb contusion on a wild pitch on Monday night and was then scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup as well before appearing later in the extra-inning win as a defensive replacement. The 24-year-old appears to be not quite comfortable enough swinging a bat to return to action for the Snakes, so Tucker Barnhart will catch again and bat eighth against Cubs left-hander Jordan Wicks. Fantasy baseball managers will want to check back on Thursday to see if Moreno is able to return to the field when the team faces the division-rival San Francisco Giants on the road.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) is back behind the plate and is hitting seventh on Wednesday against left-hander Jordan Wicks and the Chicago Cubs. Moreno was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a right-thumb contusion that he picked up on a wild pitch on Monday night. However, the 24-year-old entered the game as a defensive replacement late in Tuesday's extra-inning win and is now back in the starting lineup a day later for the series finale. One of the best young catchers in the game, especially on defense, Moreno is still searching for his first home run of the year and is hitting a modest .244 (11-for-45) with six RBI and five runs scored in his first 15 games. Moreno is hitless in his two career at-bats against Wicks.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) was scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs with a right-thumb contusion, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The skipper said that Moreno is day-to-day, so check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the lineup. The injury occurred on the wild pitch that Moreno tried to block in the top of the ninth inning that ended up tying the game in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Cubbies. The 24-year-old Venezuelan backstop has gone 11-for-45 (.244) to start the year with no homers and six RBI for the Snakes. Tucker Barnhart is catching left-hander Tommy Henry on Tuesday and is hitting ninth against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno will get a breather in Sunday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. Moreno has continued to hit the ball well and post a low strikeout rate once again this season, as he is currently in the 99th percentile among all qualified hitters with an 8.2% K-rate. He also has a strong .256 AVG with six RBI, three doubles, and one triple. Veteran Tucker Barnhart will serve as the backstop for Zac Gallen and make his fifth start of the season. Over his first four, Barnhart has hit for a .300 AVG and swiped one bag. Barnhart, who will bat ninth on Sunday, is worth looking at in DFS as he will face Miles Mikolas, who comes into the game with a hefty 4.76 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson are both out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday as they face the Colorado Rockies. Tucker Barnhart is doing the catching and will hit eighth, while Ketel Marte will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against Rockies lefty Austin Gomber. Kevin Newman is at second base and is batting ninth. Moreno had four hits on Tuesday but unsurprisingly will be on the bench in a day game after a night game. Pederson will now be on the bench for the fourth time in five games with Arizona facing a southpaw. After Marte went hitless on Monday and got the day off on Tuesday, he should be thrown back into all fantasy lineups on Wednesday, as he's hit a career .389 with two home runs and five RBI in 18 at-bats against Gomber.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is receiving a day off for the matinee game on Wednesday versus the visiting New York Yankees. Tucker Barnhart will catch right-hander Merrill Kelly and will bat eighth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Moreno showed last fall in the run up to the World Series that he's one of the most exciting young catchers in the game. The 24-year-old Venezuelan is off to a bit of a slow start offensively through five games, though, going 4-for-19 (.2110 with a double, triple, five RBI and four runs scored in 21 plate appearances. Fantasy managers shouldn't be very alarmed this early, however. Barnhart is 0-for-4 in his career against Rodon.