MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently that while he "certainly" expects Smith (neck) to play again this season, he has "no idea" when it will happen, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been sidelined for more than a month with a lingering neck issue. He has been hitting and throwing but seems unable to get over the hump with the injury, as there's no timeline for when he will be ready for a rehab assignment. The Dodgers will enter the second half with an 11.5-game lead in the National League West, so they can afford to take their time with Smith.

The Nationals will recall Ford from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Friday's series opener with the Athletics, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

After the Nationals placed Drew Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a fractured left index finger, the team will need another catcher to complement Keibert Ruiz. Ford was acquired from the Mariners last winter and has slashed .223/.370/.335 with four homers, 22 RBI, 34 runs scored and a 45:65 BB:K across 257 plate appearances at Rochester. The 23-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Nationals placed Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured left index finger.

The move is retroactive to July 12. Millas was removed from Washington's July 11 game in the ninth inning, when he presumably suffered the injury. Millas has slashed .185/.277/.262 with two homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 14:37 BB:K across 152 plate appearances as the Nationals' No. 2 catcher.

Rushing is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The 25-year-old continues to operate as the Dodgers' primary catcher with Will Smith (neck) on the injured list but will get a breather for the final game before the All-Star break. Eliezer Alfonzo will step in behind the plate Sunday in place of Rushing, who is poised to finish the first half with 10 home runs and an .808 OPS in 60 games, barring an appearance off the bench.

Campusano was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays due to abdominal soreness, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 28-year-old was penciled in to start behind the plate Sunday but was instead replaced by Rodolfo Duran due to the injury. Campusano will now have five full days to recover before the Padres start the second half of the season Friday in Kansas City.

Mack is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

The Marlins will give Mack a breather after he started behind the plate in the first two contests of the series. Brian Navarreto will fill in at catcher and will form a battery with starting pitcher Tyler Phillips.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Alvarez will receive a breather for the series finale after he started the last four games. Luis Torrens will handle catching duties Sunday as the Mets wrap up their first-half schedule.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Even though he was rested for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Contreras will get another breather Sunday in the Brewers' final game before the All-Star break. Gary Sanchez will step in behind the dish as a replacement for Contreras, who will make his third appearance in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday in Philadelphia after slashing .282/.344/.398 with nine home runs, one stolen base, 53 RBI and 48 runs in 89 first-half games.

Kelly went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-3 win against the Reds on Saturday.

Kelly hit his second home run in his last four games in the sixth inning, giving him six long balls on the season. The veteran catcher was making his fourth straight start, with Saturday's appearance coming at DH as Miguel Amaya handled duties behind the plate. Kelly and Amaya have been alternating pretty regularly as Chicago's backstop, limiting the fantasy ceiling of each as long as they're splitting the workload.

McCann went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Dodgers.

McCann capped a five-run sixth inning with a three-run homer, then followed it up with a solo shot in the eighth to pad Arizona's lead. The catcher has gone 3-for-7 over two games since he returned from a quadriceps strain. On the year, he's batting .227 with a .603 OPS, two homers, 10 RBI, five runs scored and three doubles over 69 plate appearances. McCann is likely to remain in the backup role behind Gabriel Moreno for starts at catcher.