MLB Player News

Bart went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 7-3 victory over the Athletics on Sunday.

Bart had trouble adjusting to big-league pitching at the beginning of the season before being demoted to Triple-A Sacramento. The rookie catcher was hitting .156 at the time of the demotion, but appears to heating up so far in August. Bart is 7-for-16 with two home runs over the first week of the month. The former first-round draft pick has the potential for legitimate power production at the scarce catcher position and could prove to be a valuable fantasy addition down the stretch.

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a 6-2 loss to the Mets in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Contreras started the matinee and went 2-for-5 with an RBI, so he likely wasn't expecting to play in the nightcap. Travis d'Arnaud had to leave Game 2 after suffering a lower leg injury, and Contreras filled in nicely with a ninth-inning solo shot. Across his last nine games, Contreras has gone 9-for-32 (.281) with four long balls, six RBI and six runs scored. He could be in line to start Sunday's series finale if Atlanta opts to take a cautious approach with d'Arnaud.

Realmuto went 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and two runs in Saturday's victory over the Nationals.

Realmuto homered and tripled for the second time in as many games, and he also recorded multiple hits for the eighth time in 17 contests. With an OPS well north of 1.000 since the start of July, Realmuto's slow start to the season is safely in the rearview mirror.

Smith went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-3 win against San Diego.

Smith opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, tacked on an RBI single in the third, was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored in the fifth and brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The 27-year-old has assembled a tidy nine-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 15-for-36 (.417) with two home runs and four doubles, while the theft was his first of the campaign. Smith's .273/.362/.477 slash line is second to Alejandro Kirk among backstops while his 16 home runs and 59 RBI lead all catchers.

D'Arnaud underwent X-rays after injuring his lower right leg in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The X-rays taken on d'Arnaud's injured leg came back negative, and according to the report he is considered day-to-day. As such, It remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup for Sunday's series finale.

Bart (groin) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the A's, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

A groin issue kept Bart out the past couple days, but he's been cleared to man the backstop and bat seventh against right-hander Adam Oller. Bart's numbers for the season leave a lot to be desired, but he's been much more productive at the dish since returning from Triple-A in July. He's slashed .273/.304/.485 with four home runs in his last 23 games, but he's also struck out 23 times in that span.

Ruiz is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

Tres Barrera will step in behind the plate to catch for starter Patrick Corbin. Ruiz has not lived up to expectations this season -- his first full season in the Nationals organization -- after coming over from the Dodgers in the Trea Turner-Max Scherzer deal. However, the Nationals have completely torn it down, and they have every incentive to play Ruiz as much as he can handle down the stretch.

Stephenson isn't expected to return this season after undergoing surgery to stabilize his fractured right collarbone Thursday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson will be eligible to return from the 60-day injured list for the final two weeks of the season, but that was reportedly a long shot even before his surgery. The Reds haven't officially ruled him out for the remainder of the year, but the team has little incentive to rush him in a lost season and seems content to let him rest and heal. With Aramis Garcia (finger) also out, the Reds are going with Michael Papierski and Austin Romine behind the plate.

Stallings will be on the bench Saturday against the Cubs, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Stallings has disappointed at the plate this season, posting a .529 OPS after three straight years in which he finished with an OPS north of .700. Nick Fortes will get the start behind the plate Saturday.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with a triple, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 7-2 win over the Nationals.

All the Phillies' big-name sluggers went yard on a night in which the team launched five homers in total, but it was Realmuto who had the best effort overall, coming a double short of a cycle. The catcher has seven multi-hit performances in his last 16 games, a stretch in which he's batting a blistering .393 (22-for-56) to push his slash line on the year up to .263/.336/.428 with 11 homers, 13 steals, 49 runs and 49 RBI through 91 contests.