MLB Player News

Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Wednesday.

This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for Cody Bolton, who is joining the Pirates' bullpen ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. A journeyman catcher, Heineman heads into DFA limbo with a career .210/.276/.269 major-league batting line.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Padres.

Yan Gomes will catch and bat eighth with right-hander Michael Wacha on the mound for San Diego. It's the third straight start behind the plate for Gomes, though the previous two starts were versus lefties. He has greatly outperformed Barnhart offensively and may be capturing a larger share of the catcher platoon in Chicago.

Smith (concussion) said Wednesday he's unsure if he'll be able to return from the 7-day injured list for Friday's game against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Though Smith traveled with the Dodgers to Pittsburgh and has been working out for the past few days, manager Dave Roberts has already ruled out the catcher from playing during the three-game series with the Pirates. Smith mentioned that the headaches he's been experiencing have been gone since Friday, but the Dodgers are still planning on being extra cautious with him before activating him. Even if Smith isn't back by Friday, the 28-year-old should be back behind the plate for Los Angeles in the coming days.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

After starting behind the dish in each of the Dodgers' last three games, Barnes will get a breather Wednesday while Austin Wynns receives a turn behind the plate. Barnes should be back in the lineup for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh, but he'll likely revert to the No. 2 catcher's role by the weekend, when Will Smith (concussion) should be ready to return from the 7-day injured list.

Smith (concussion) threw to bases and took live batting practice Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With his concussion symptoms abated, Smith has been ramping up workouts in his bid to return to the Dodgers' lineup. Assuming he gets through Wednesday's workout with no issues and bounces back fine, he could be back in action for this weekend's home series versus the Cardinals.

Moreno is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Kansas City.

Moreno went 2-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored over the first two games of the series against the Royals, and now takes a seat for the finale. Jose Herrera is starting behind the plate and hitting ninth in Moreno's absence.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Contreras will get Wednesday off after going 2-for-7 with a home run over the first two games of the series with the Tigers. Victor Caratini is starting behind the plate and hitting sixth while Contreras rests.

Diaz is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Diaz started the first two games of the series with Cleveland, going 2-for-6 with two walks and a run scored. He'll now take a seat in favor of Brian Serven, who will take over behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale with the Guardians.

Sabol went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Sabol was the hero for the Giants on Tuesday, as he sent a slider from Ryan Helsley 428 feet to center field to lead San Francisco to a walkoff victory. After his second multi-hit game of the season, the rookie's slash line now sits at .224/.269/.469 and a 1:23 BB:K over 52 plate appearances. The 25-year-old catcher is striking out at a 44 percent clip this season, and unless he shows major improvement in that regard, he'll likely remain a major batting-average risk.

Ruiz went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory over the Mets.

Ruiz flashed some power Tuesday, swatting his second home run of the season off Jose Butto in the second inning. Ruiz has an impressive .288/.350/.425 slash line through 80 plate appearances, but his fantasy value is somewhat capped by the Nationals' offensive woes and Ruiz's typically modest power.