MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Padres.

Smith has hit safely in four straight games, and he's driven in a run in each of them. The homer was his first since July 7, while the steal was his second of the campaign. The catcher is slashing .276/.384/.474 with 14 long balls, 56 RBI, 57 runs scored and 17 doubles through 85 contests overall.

Stephenson is not in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Nationals.

Stephenson has a .528 OPS in 15 games since the All-Star break and will hit the bench Saturday for the second time in the past three games. Luke Maile will receive another start behind the plate for Cincinnati.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with two RBI on Friday against the Cardinals.

Diaz came out of the All-Star break without much punch at the plate, though he's changed that across his last six games. In that span, he's collected 11 hits in 25 at-bats while also tacking on four RBI and two runs scored. Since C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk were dealt away, Diaz has hit cleanup twice, though he hit in his more customary sixth position Friday.

Moreno (shoulder) has begun hitting off a tee and hitting flips in the batting cage, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks are hopeful that Moreno can ramp up further and begin taking practice by early next week. The catcher has exceeded the 10-day minimum and can be activated at any time.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's victory over the Cubs.

Murphy hit one of two home runs against Kyle Hendricks in a seven-run fourth inning for Atlanta. It was Murphy's 18th home run of the season but his first of the second half. He entered Friday's game with a .098/.229/.122 line in 11 games since he made his first career All-Star Game appearance.

Sanchez isn't in the Padres' lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

Sanchez will catch a breather Friday after going 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI during Wednesday's blowout win over Colorado. Luis Campusano will fill in behind the dish and bat eighth.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's victory over the Marlins.

Realmuto took Johnny Cueto deep for a solo shot in his first trip to the plate to give the Phillies an early 2-0 lead. The catcher later tacked on a single to give him his first multi-hit game since July 7 against these same Marlins. He's now hit safely in five of his last six games, slightly raising his batting average to .246 on the season.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Stephenson has a .547 OPS in 14 games since the All-Star break and will head to the bench Thursday after starting the previous two contests. Luke Maile will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale at Chicago.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras started the first two games of the series versus Minnesota and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's finale. Andrew Knizner will step in behind the plate to catch for Matthew Liberatore.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Twins.

This was Contreras' third multi-hit effort in his last 10 games, a span in which he's gone 9-for-24 with an .865 OPS. The catcher is up to a career-high six steals this season. He's maintained a .249/.344/.423 slash line with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 38 runs scored and 22 doubles through 92 contests.