MLB Player News

Stubbs will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against Atlanta.

After sitting out in three of the past four games, Stubbs is back behind the dish for the series finale in Atlanta. In two of those three games that the lefty-hitting Stubbs didn't start, the Phillies opposed left-handed pitchers, so Stubbs would still seem to have a hold on the larger portion of a timeshare at catcher with the switch-hitting Rafael Marchan. Both backstops will see their opportunities decline once J.T. Realmuto (knee) returns from the injured list.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Phillies.

Murphy was on the bench for Friday's series opener and will also sit for Sunday's finale after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday's contest. Travis d'Arnaud will step in behind the plate to catch for righty Reynaldo Lopez.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-3 win against Milwaukee.

After belting three solo homers Friday, Smith smashed a two-run shot in his first at-bat Saturday. Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the backstop became the first Dodger to homer in four straight at-bats since Adrian Gonzalez in 2015 and the first major leaguer to do so since Jose Altuve in September of last season. Smith's two-game power surge has pushed him to 15 long balls on the campaign, tied for third among MLB catchers.

Torrens went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.

Getting the nod behind the plate after Francisco Alvarez took a Paul Skenes fastball off his elbow Friday, Torrens opened the scoring with a bases-loaded double in the third inning. He hasn't fallen out of the game plan completely since Alvarez returned from the injured list about a month ago -- Torrens has started four of the last seven games, three at catcher and one at DH, and manager Carlos Mendoza will likely continue to find way to get him into the lineup given his .317/.364/.610 slash line with three homers in 44 plate appearances since joining the Mets.

Reds manager David Bell said Friday that he's hopeful that Maile (back) will be ready to return from the 10-day injured list shortly after the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.

Maile was diagnosed with a herniated disc and placed on the IL on Friday after he had previously complained of a nerve issue on the lower right side near his hip following the Reds' 8-4 win over the Yankees on Thursday. Bell said that Maile has already received an injection to treat the injury, so the veteran backstop could be cleared to resume baseball activities once the shot takes full effect. Austin Wynns was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Friday and will serve as the backup to Tyler Stephenson while Maile is on the shelf.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against San Diego.

Moreno had started in four straight games since being activated from the injured list and will yield to Jose Herrera behind the dish Saturday. Moreno owns a .714 OPS and a 15.3 percent K-rate across 235 plate appearances this season.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said Saturday that Herrera (back) experienced no pain after Friday's rehab outing with Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

As the designated hitter Friday, Herrera went 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI and one walk. Marmol noted that Herrera will start behind home plate soon, and a return to the majors will hinge on the 24-year-old's ability to start at catcher on back-to-back days. Before landing on the injured list June 22 with lower-back tightness, Herrera was slashing .279/.340/.378 with three home runs and 19 RBI over 191 major-league plate appearances.

Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that the Cubs are giving Amaya extra time off to work through his struggles at the plate, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Amaya is slashing .186/.249/.256 with two home runs and 15 RBI this season, but since June 1 those numbers have dipped to .167/.231/.200. Tomas Nido is starting behind home plate Saturday, and he figures to see more full-time work moving forward while Amaya works on things offensively.

Alvarez (elbow) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 in Friday's 14-2 loss to Pittsburgh, and he was also struck in the left elbow by a 99 mph fastball from Paul Skenes in the fourth inning, per Pat Ragazzo of SI.com. Luis Torrens will start behind home plate Saturday and bat sixth against Pirates southpaw Bailey Falter.

Amaya isn't in the Cubs' lineup for Saturday's game versus the Angels.

Saturday will mark the fourth time in five games that Amaya has sat down in favor of Tomas Nido, who will draw the start at catcher and bat ninth. The two backstops are still likely to split reps behind the plate going forward, though it appears Nido has emerged as the preferred option.