MLB Player News

Smith (neck) could take batting practice at some point this week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been stuck on the injured list since June 11 but has been making recent strides in his recovery. Dave Roberts stated Monday that the week ahead will prove to be critical for Smith, who was cleared to resume some baseball activities near the end of July but still needs time to ramp up and then complete a rehab assignment before being activated from the IL.

Cavanaugh is expected to serve as San Francisco's starting catcher for the foreseeable future after Daniel Susac was diagnosed with a left knee patella fracture Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pavlovic notes that the Giants are in the process of calling up a backup catcher ahead of Monday's clash against Houston, and the team is also looking to acquire a veteran backstop to help out the rest of the way. However, there's a good chance that Cavanaugh will remain the team's starting catcher through the final few months of the 2026 season. The 24-year-old is batting .250 with one extra-base hit, three RBI and three runs scored in 22 games since July 1.

Susac has been diagnosed with a left knee patella fracture, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Susac suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his knee during Sunday's game versus the Tigers. The initial prognosis was a contusion, but an MRI revealed a fracture. Susac will meet with doctors Tuesday to determine the next course of action, but it's likely the injury ends his season. With Jesus Rodriguez (elbow) also sidelined, Drew Cavanaugh is the only healthy catcher on the Giants' 40-man roster.

Campusano is not in San Diego's starting lineup against Milwaukee on Monday.

For a second consecutive day, Campusano will be on the bench while Freddy Fermin starts behind home plate, with the latter forming a battery with Casey Mize. Campusano has gone 13-for-45 (.289) with five RBI since the All-Star break.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Realmuto will be one of three Phillies regulars on the bench for the series opener in St. Louis, as shortstop Trea Turner and first baseman Alec Bohm will also get the evening off. Garrett Stubbs will check in for Realmuto behind the plate and will bat ninth.

Ruiz went 3-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Reds.

The 28-year-old catcher extended his hitting streak to six games as he continues a bounce-back campaign. Ruiz hasn't homered since before the All-Star break, but during his 17-game power drought he's still compiled a .278/.350/.352 slash line with four doubles, four RBI and eight runs.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

The backstop took Kirby Yates deep in the fifth inning, giving the Mets a 10-1 lead. Alvarez has gone 16 straight games without collecting multiple hits, but he's drawn 14 walks during that stretch to fuel a .224/.406/.408 slash line with three doubles, two homers, five RBI and eight runs.

Goodman went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Goodman opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning before coming through again in the eighth, taking George Soriano deep for a game-tying solo homer. Goodman has continued to provide plenty of power since the All-Star break, batting .254 with seven home runs and 18 RBI across 18 games. Through 108 contests this season, he's batting .254, while his 34 homers trail only Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Schwarber (35) for the MLB lead.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said that Susac exited Sunday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh due to a left knee contusion, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Susac went 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to his departure.

Susac fouled a ball of his knee in the bottom of the fifth and exited the game the next time his turn in the batting order came up two innings later. Fortunately for Susac, Vitello said that X-rays on the rookie catcher's knee returned negative. The 25-year-old is dealing with a significant amount of swelling in his knee and is considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener versus the Astros.

Amaya went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 10-2 win over the Royals.

Amaya hit his fourth home run of the season in the seventh inning, getting him up to 21 RBI as well. The 27-year-old catcher has been splitting time behind the plate with Carson Kelly, with Kelly getting the start on both Friday and Saturday before taking a seat Sunday. Amaya is likely still the 1B to Kelly's 1A, so his overall fantasy value will be capped unless his role grows at some point, but he's capable of producing when given an opportunity.