MLB Player News

Bart is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Bart appears to have wrested the No. 1 catching job away from Henry Davis, but the former will hit the bench for Wednesday's day game after spending eight innings behind the dish in a 5-2 loss Tuesday night. Davis will draw the start Wednesday, but he could be headed to Triple-A Indianapolis if Yasmani Grandal (foot) is reinstated from the 10-day injured list this weekend.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Seattle.

He was behind the plate for Tuesday's 3-2 loss, so d'Arnaud will get a break for Wednesday's afternoon contest. Chadwick Tromp will start at catcher and will form a battery with starting pitcher Chris Sale.

Stephenson (hand) isn't in the Reds' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Stephenson hasn't started a game since being hit in the hand by a pitch during Saturday's game against the Rangers, though he was available off the bench for Monday's contest and presumably is also available if needed Tuesday. In the meantime, Luke Maile will pick up another start behind the plate and bat eighth.

Stephenson (hand) was available off the bench for Monday's 5-2 win over San Diego, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson, who was hit by a pitch on his right hand Saturday, sat out a second straight game. Luke Maile has operated behind the plate in place of Stephenson.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Monday's 8-4 victory against the Diamondbacks.

Smith padded the Dodgers' lead in the sixth inning with a 407-foot solo blast to center field. It was the backstop's second long ball in three games after he went deep just once over his first 23 contests of the campaign. Though he's been pretty quiet in the power department thus far, Smith is having an outstanding start to the season, slashing .363/.404/.539 with 22 RBI and 16 runs through 114 plate appearances.

Stephenson (hand) didn't play in Monday's 5-2 victory over the Padres.

Stephenson has now missed two consecutive matchups after being struck on the right hand by a pitch Saturday against the Rangers. Luke Maile drew the start behind the dish Monday and could continue to see playing time until Stephenson is cleared to return.

Herrera is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Detroit.

Herrera's bat has slowed and with it so has his playing time, as he's now started just four of the last 10 games and is 0-for-15 at the plate over that span. Willson Contreras is catching Monday, while Paul Goldschmidt is getting a start at designated hitter.

Nido will start at catcher and bat ninth Monday against the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Nido is behind the plate for the fourth time in five games and appears to be the Mets' preferred option at catcher over Omar Narvaez while Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is on the shelf. Though he's well regarded for his framing and ability to manage the Mets' pitching staff, Nido is a career .213 hitter and offers little power or speed, making him uninteresting for fantasy purposes outside of NL-only leagues.

Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Narvaez started three of the first four games at catcher after Francisco Alvarez (thumb) got hurt and was placed on the injured list, but it's now been Tomas Nido behind the plate for four of the last five contests. The 32-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .204/.271/.284 as a Met since the beginning of last season.

Grandal (foot) has made six appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis during his rehab assignment, going 5-for-21 with one home run, two walks, two runs and six RBI.

Perhaps more important than his statistical production is the fact that Grandal has made five of his six starts behind the plate, a sign that he's feeling healthy after he was shut down in the spring due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, general manager Ben Cherington noted that Grandal's upcoming return will force the Pirates to make a tough roster decision, as one of Henry Davis and Joey Bart will lose out on a spot. Given that Bart is out of options and has been performing better of the two backstops, Davis seems like the more logical choice to get demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room for Grandal, even though Davis is seen as the Pirates' long-term answer behind the dish.