MLB Player News

D'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Phillies.

He got Atlanta on the board with a solo shot off Zack Wheeler in the first inning, then added an RBI single in the third. The veteran catcher has hit safely in seven straight games as he fends off William Contreras' challenge for his starting job behind the plate, and d'Arnaud is batting .328 (20-for-61) in June with seven of his 11 homers on the year.

Casali is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Detroit, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

Casali will take a seat Tuesday for the second time in the past three games. Austin Wynns will work behind the plate in Casali's place.

Okey was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Okey has served as Cincinnati's No. 2 catcher over the past few weeks, and he'll head back to the minors after going 2-for-12 with three runs and five strikeouts in seven games. Michael Papierski was recalled in a corresponding move and will operate as the backup catcher until Tyler Stephenson (thumb) returns from the injured list.

Perez will be on the bench Tuesday against the Nationals.

Perez and Tyler Heineman appear to be in a platoon behind the plate at the moment. Perez has started against the last five righties the Pirates have faced, while Heineman's start here against southpaw Patrick Corbin means he's gotten the nod against three straight lefties.

Ruiz will sit Tuesday against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz has handled a heavy workload this season, as his 53 starts behind the plate rank third in the league, trailing only J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy. He'll sit here for the second time in three games, with Riley Adams taking over to catch for Patrick Corbin.

Smith is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith is hitting .299/.347/.563 with six home runs in 22 games this month. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit ninth.

Stallings is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Cardinals, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stallings is hitting .164/.220/.218 with one home run in 55 at-bats this month. Nick Fortes will get the start behind the dish, hitting ninth.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Even though Ronald Acuna (foot) will miss his second straight game, Contreras will take a seat for the series opener in Philadelphia while manager Brian Snitker hands Mike Ford his first start as a member of Atlanta. While serving as a designated hitter or catcher in four of the past five games, Contreras went 1-for-14 with three walks, a stolen base, one RBI and one run.

Knizner remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Knizner is on the bench for the third game in a row and looks as though he'll serve as the Cardinals' No. 2 catcher even while top backstop Yadier Molina (knee) faces an uncertain timeline to return from the 10-day injured list. Per Jones, manager Oliver Marmol said he intended to give Ivan Herrera a trial as the Cardinals' primary catcher, so Knizner may be asked to make only a start or two per week if Herrera performs well enough to hang on to the No. 1 role.

Herrera will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Since Yadier Molina (knee) remains without a clear timeline to return from the injured list and with Andrew Knizner sitting on a lowly .525 OPS through 136 plate appearances on the season, the Cardinals may be ready to give Herrera glimpse as their primary catcher. The 22-year-old rookie will pick up his second straight start after going 2-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Cubs. Prior to being called up from the minors following Molina's placement on the IL, Herrera showcased a dash of pop (.145 ISO) and strong plate discipline (12.7 percent walk rate, 14.7 percent strikeout rate) over his 129 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis.