MLB Player News

Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

On the bench for the fourth time in six games, Fortes' standing atop the depth chart at catcher could be on shaky ground. Fortes looked to have gained some job security after the Marlins pushed Christian Bethancourt off their 40-man roster earlier this month, but Ali Sanchez has impressed with a .353 on-base percentage since getting called up from Triple-A Jacksonville on June 21. Sanchez will get another turn behind the plate Sunday at Fortes' expense.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

After starting behind the plate in five of the past six games, Grandal will get a breather in the series finale in Atlanta. The Pirates brought back Joey Bart (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday and will put him to work right away, as he'll fill in at catcher while Grandal rests.

The Pirates optioned Delay to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Delay will head back to the minors as the Pirates clear room on the 26-man active roster for fellow catcher Joey Bart (thumb), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. During his two-week stay with the Pirates, Delay went 3-for-12 with three doubles, two walks, five RBI and one run.

The Pirates reinstated Bart (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at catcher and bat seventh in the Pirates' series finale in Atlanta.

Top backstop Yasmani Grandal will take a seat Sunday while the Pirates clear the way for Bart to play in his first game for the big club since May 26. Bart missed more than a month while recovering from a left thumb sprain but proved his health during a recent six-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis, going 6-for-17 with a double and three walks.

Smith went 3-for-6 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Giants.

Smith tied the game at five runs apiece with an infield single in the fifth and later added a two-run double in the 11th to put the Dodgers on top 9-7, marking his first multi-hit effort since June 11 against the Rangers. Despite his recent struggles at the plate, the catcher has still managed to post eight RBI over his last nine games and is now up to 50 RBI on the season. However, he's also struck out twice in three of his last five contests.

Sullivan went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in an 11-1 victory over Boston on Saturday.

Sullivan got in on another big day for San Diego's offense by smashing a two-run homer to right field in the fifth inning. The 28-year-old was recalled from Triple-A on June 22 to fill in for Luis Campusano, who is on the injured list with a thumb injury. However, Kyle Higashioka has been swinging a hot bat, so Sullivan has made only two starts since the call-up.

Wynns went 3-for-5 with three doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

Wynns was added to the roster Friday when the Reds placed Tyler Stephenson on the paternity list. The 33-year-old Wynns is not expected to remain on the roster past this weekend.

Stubbs went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins.

The 31-year-old backstop got the Phillies on the board in the third inning by clubbing a Roddery Munoz sinker over the right-field fence. The homer was Stubbs' first of the season, and he's been making a modest impact since J.T. Realmuto (knee) was sidelined, hitting safely in nine of his last 10 games and batting .278 (10-for-36) over that stretch. The RBI was his first since June 2, however.

Herrera (back) said Saturday that he has been swinging a bat over the past several days and plans on catching a bullpen session soon, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera added that he may progress to participating in batting practice within the next several days, and a rehab assignment could come shortly thereafter if his back responds properly. However, it's possible the Cardinals opt to keep him in the minor leagues once he's activated now that Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages are both on the active roster.

Barnhart isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup for Saturday's game versus Oakland.

The switch-hitting Barnhart owns just a .290 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, so he'll take a seat Saturday as the A's send southpaw Hogan Harris to the mound. Jose Herrera will fill in behind the dish and bat ninth.