MLB Player News

Murphy isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports.

Murphy has gone 4-for-23 with nine strikeouts over his last seven games. He'll get a breather Saturday as Travis d'Arnaud makes his return from a wrist injury that caused him to sit out for a week.

D'Arnaud (wrist) will start at catcher and bat fifth Saturday against Washington, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports.

After missing Atlanta's last five games due to wrist soreness that stemmed from an HBP last Saturday, d'Arnaud will now make his return to the starting lineup. The 35-year-old backstop has appeared in nine games this month, going 5-for-28 with two homers and seven RBI.

Del Castillo is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Boston.

Del Castillo went 1-for-5 with one run scored in Friday's 12-2 win over the Red Sox. Since being called up from Triple-A Reno in early August, Del Castillo is slashing .341/.400/.610 with seven runs scored, three home runs and 14 RBI across 45 plate appearances. Jose Herrera will bat ninth and catch for Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen.

The Nationals recalled Millas from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Millas will take the spot on the Nationals' 26-man roster that was vacated by Alex Call, who was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. It's the fourth time Millas has been called up to the majors this season, and across his 11 outings with Washington, he's gone 5-for-30 with two runs scored, two stolen bases and a solo home run. In Triple-A this season, he's slashing .311/.361/.518 with 10 stolen bases, nine home runs and 35 RBI across 241 plate appearances.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and one run scored in Friday's 6-1 win over the Twins.

The theft was Contreras' fifth of the year, putting him one shy of matching his career high. The catcher has hit well lately, batting .319 (15-for-47) with five extra-base hits over his last 12 contests. He's up to a .263/.379/.470 slash line with 15 homers, 36 RBI, 48 runs scored and 17 doubles across 83 games this season. He continues to be quietly consistent while playing nearly every day between catcher and designated hitter.

Bart went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored Friday against the Reds.

Bart has seven multi-hit performances across 18 starts in August, which has translated to a .304/./351/.565 line. He also has five home runs, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored in that span and should continue to serve as Pittsburgh's primary catcher to close the season.

Higashioka went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two total runs scored in Friday's 7-0 win over the Mets.

Over his previous nine games, Higashioka had gone just 3-for-24 (.125) with two RBI. The catcher made a bigger impact in this series-opening game, hitting a two-run homer in the second inning and plating another run in the third with his second double in three contests. Higashioka is up to a .226/.271/.516 slash line with 15 homers, seven doubles, 42 RBI, 24 runs scored and one stolen base over 200 plate appearances this season, but his recent slump has dropped him back into a timeshare behind the plate with Luis Campusano.

Amaya went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs in Friday's 6-3 win against the Marlins.

Amaya went deep in consecutive games for the first time in his career after hitting a grand slam in Thursday's win over the Tigers. The 25-year-old has taken over as the Cubs' regular catcher, starting 15 of 19 games in August while slashing .271/.286/.563 with four of his seven home runs on the season, and 13 RBI of his 31 RBI.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates.

Stephenson launched his sixth August home run 436 feet in the top of the first inning. The catcher has hit safely in nine of his past 10 games, going deep three times and driving in seven runs. On the season, he is hitting .254 with 17 homers, 51 RBI and 56 runs scored across 393 plate appearances.

Bailey (oblique) will resume baseball activities this weekend, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports Friday.

Bailey is expected to return from the 10-day injured list before the calendar flips to September, but a clearer idea of where he is in the recovery process is now emerging. Bailey becomes eligible for activation Aug. 29.