MLB Player News

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes is included in the lineup for the third game in a row and is getting his second turn behind the plate of the series after serving as a designated hitter in Wednesday's 5-4 win. The 25-year-old has produced an .866 OPS on the season, and the massive edge he holds in that category over the defensive-minded Jacob Stallings (.478) could be enough for Marlins manage Don Mattingly to consider deploying the two backstops in a timeshare, if not an arrangement that tilts more in Fortes' favor.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stallings will get a breather for the matinee game after he went 0-for-2 while logging eight innings behind the dish in Wednesday's 5-4 win. Nick Fortes will catch for starting pitcher Braxton Garrett in the series finale.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

The Dodgers trailed by six runs through six innings before Smith set off a late-game comeback with his two-run blast to center field in the seventh. The long ball extended his on-base streak to eight games, during which he's slashing .296/.424/.444 with seven RBI. Smith leads all major-league catchers with 14 homers on the season, and he is tied for first at the position with 45 RBI.

Marchan was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

The 23-year-old was promoted Tuesday since starting catcher J.T. Realmuto can't enter Canada due to his vaccination status. Garrett Stubbs started both games behind the plate for the Phillies, so Marchan will return to the minors without making his season debut.

Gomes isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Gomes went 0-for-3 during Tuesday's series opener and will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games. Willson Contreras is starting behind the plate while Rafael Ortega serves as the designated hitter.

Ruiz isn't starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Seattle, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz will get a breather after he went 2-for-4 with a double and a run during the first game of the twin bill. Tres Barrera is starting behind the dish and batting eighth.

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

Since getting called up from Triple-A Sacramento on July 6 to replace the injured Curt Casali (oblique), Bart has worked ahead of Austin Wynns as the Giants' No. 1 catcher. Bart has gone a collective 4-for-17 with a home run, a double and two walks while starting in six of the past seven games, and he likely strengthened his grip on the top job by producing his first multi-hit effort with the Giants since April 29 in Tuesday's 13-0 win. With the Giants and Diamondbacks wrapping up their series Wednesday with a day game after a night game, Bart will be receiving some routine maintenance.

Knizner went 3-for-4 with three RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

Knizner hit RBI singles in the second, fourth and eighth innings, with the last of those three knocks providing the margin of victory. The catcher hadn't posted a multi-hit game since May 22, and this was his second three-hit effort of the season. He's gone 5-for-21 (.238) in July and owns a .197/.288/.246 slash line with a home run, 16 RBI, 10 runs scored and four doubles in 55 contests overall.

D'Arnaud is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Mets.

D'Arnaud will get a day off Wednesday after he went 1-for-7 with a run scored in the first two contests of the series. William Contreras will take over behind the plate and bat fifth against the Mets.

Bart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 13-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Bart went yard in the second inning and added a single in the eighth for his first multi-hit effort since April 29. The catcher has gone 4-for-17 (.235) in six contests since he was called up to replace Curt Casali (oblique) on the active roster. Bart owns a .168/.299/.327 slash line with five homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored, a stolen base and two doubles in 127 plate appearances, but he's still managed steady playing time in his second stint in the majors this year.