17 Chad Wallach C

Wallach was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Wallach split time with Bryan Holaday behind the plate to start the season, but the 26-year-old could only produce four hits in 31 at-bats (.129 batting average). With J.T. Realmuto returning from the disabled list, Wallach is no longer needed on the big-league roster, so he'll retreat to the minors to act as organizational depth.

Wallach is not in the Marlins' lineup Monday against the Mets, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Wallach has been the primary catcher for the Marlins while J.T. Realmuto (back) remains on the disabled list. Bryan Holaday will start at catcher Monday, the third time in four games that he's done so. Wallach could be losing his temporary starter role, though that likely won't have much fantasy impact; his light bat is irrelevant in most formats, and J.T. Realmuto is approximately ten days from returning.

Wallach is out of Thursday's lineup against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

He has been the de facto starter while J.T. Realmuto (back) has been on the disabled list, but should be an afterthought in the majority of fantasy formats. Wallach is 2-for-19 at the plate (.105 average) through five games. Bryan Holaday will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Wallach went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Cubs.

The 26-year-old catcher had a brutal start to the season, going 0-for-10 with eight strikeouts in his first two games, but Marlins manager Don Mattingly stuck with him and got rewarded for his patience Sunday. Wallach appears set to see regular duty behind the plate until J.T. Realmuto (back) is ready to come off the disabled list in a couple of weeks.

Wallach is catching and batting eighth Friday against the Cubs, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wallach was expected to back up Tomas Telis in the absence of injured starter J.T. Realmuto (back), but Wallach has now been named the starter for the opening two games of the season. Starting the right-handed Wallach over the switch-hitting Tomas Telis in the opener against Jon Lester could have been explained as simply a move to gain a platoon advantage, as Telis has hit poorly against lefties in his career. But Wallach remains in the lineup against the right-handed Kyle Hendricks, suggesting that it's he who is the interim starter. Regardless of the unexpected playing time, nothing in Wallach's profile suggests he'll be a significant fantasy asset, but in leagues deep enough to roster one of the Marlins' catchers, he appears to be the one to grab.