MLB Player News

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

Smith will get a breather after he hit .130 with a home run, four RBI and two runs over the last six games. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Heineman is starting Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Although right-hander Mitch White is starting for the Dodgers on Wednesday, Heineman will start behind the plate for the fifth time in the last seven games. Over the last six matchups, he's gone 4-for-14 with three runs, a walk and a strikeout.

Perez isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Perez has lost out on playing time recently, and he'll be held out of the lineup for the fifth time in the last seven games. Tyler Heineman will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Casali will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Phillies, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Casali will start for the third straight contest and the fourth time in five games, with three of those assignments coming behind the plate. He appears to have inched ahead of Joey Bart on the depth chart, a development that doesn't come as a major surprise given the wide chasm in their performances this season. Entering Wednesday, Casali maintains an .817 OPS over 72 plate appearances, while Bart is sitting on a .600 OPS over 102 plate appearances.

Bart isn't starting Wednesday against the Phillies, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart went 0-for-4 with a run, a walk and three strikeouts in Tuesday's win over Philadelphia, and he'll be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last six games. Curt Casali is starting behind the plate and batting sixth.

D'Arnaud isn't starting Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

D'Arnaud started in the last three games and went 3-for-13 with three strikeouts. William Contreras will start behind the dish and bat fifth.

Stallings is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Nick Fortes will be behind the plate for Game 1, catching for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera. Expect Stallings, who has gone hitless with seven strikeouts in 10 at-bats over his last three starts, to check back into the lineup for the nightcap.

Ruiz isn't starting Wednesday against the Mets.

Ruiz started in the last two games and went 1-for-7 with a run and two walks. Riley Adams will start behind the dish and bat eighth Wednesday.

Heineman went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Dodgers.

Heineman rattled off three singles in the contest, and he came around to score on a Tucupita Marcano homer in the second inning and a Bryan Reynolds double in the ninth. This was Heineman's second multi-hit effort in 18 games this season. The catcher has a .222/.263/.278 slash line with no home runs, one RBI, five runs scored and two doubles through 40 plate appearances between the Pirates and the Blue Jays this year.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Brewers.

Contreras continued his good recent stretch of games, as he's now batting .346 over his past eight contests with three home runs, four RBI and six runs scored. Overall, the catcher has a solid .907 OPS, which would represent a new career high if it holds up. His previous best in that category was the .888 OPS he recorded in 2019, which is also when he blasted a career-high 24 home runs. Contreras has eight home runs through 41 games this year.