MLB Player News

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Narvaez has gone 1-for-22 over his past 10 contests and will head to the bench for Friday's game. Switch hitter Victor Caratini will take over behind the plate with lefty Austin Davis serving as an opener for Boston.

Delay isn't starting Friday against Philadelphia.

Delay has had inconsistent playing time behind the dish following the All-Star break and will retreat to the bench for the fourth time in the last six games. Tyler Heineman is starting at catcher and batting ninth.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a double, a run and three RBI in Thursday's 13-0 rout of the Rockies.

Smith played his part in a big offensive game for Los Angeles, knocking in a run with a second-inning double and plating two more with a single in the fourth. The backstop had been struggling coming into the contest, going 1-for-25 over his previous seven games. Smith hasn't homered in over two weeks, but he is still tied for the lead among MLB catchers with 14 long balls on the campaign.

Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

The 22-year-old joined the Cardinals for the two-game series against the Blue Jays this week and will now return to Triple-A. Herrera didn't appear in either contest for St. Louis and is unlikely to be a factor in the majors the rest of the year. He has a .295/.385/.432 slash line with three home runs and 21 RBI in 37 games for Memphis this season.

Heineman went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Phillies.

Heineman did all of his damage during a five-run rally in the ninth inning by delivering a two-run single, before coming around to score himself. Since the All-Star break, he has settled into a near-even timeshare with Jason Delay behind the plate, collecting three hits across 10 at-bats. Overall, Heineman has a .218/.269/.267 slash line across 110 plate appearances on the season.

Bart (illness) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Cubs.

Bart missed one game due to an illness. He's down to a .224 batting average with 21 strikeouts in 18 contests in July. While the 25-year-old is likely to see most of the starts behind the dish, his .180/.288/.331 slash line and 43.8 percent strikeout rate remain discouraging. Curt Casali (oblique) began a rehab assignment Wednesday, and he could threaten Bart's place on the 26-man roster once he returns, as the Giants may want their catcher of the future to work on his swing at Triple-A Sacramento rather than in the big leagues.

Bart (illness) is starting Thursday against the Cubs, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart left Tuesday's game early due to an illness and sat out Wednesday's series finale in Arizona. However, he'll start behind the dish and bat eighth during Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Delay isn't starting Thursday against the Phillies.

Delay has alternated starts behind the plate recently and will head to the bench for the third time in the last five games. Tyler Heineman is starting at catcher and batting ninth.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Realmuto will sit for the second time in the second half after he was behind the dish for all three games of the Phillies' series with Atlanta earlier this week. Garrett Stubbs will check in behind the dish for Thursday's series opener, but expect Realmuto to start at either catcher or designated hitter for the remaining three games in Pittsburgh.

Fortes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Reds.

Fortes hasn't yet overtaken Jacob Stallings for the Marlins' No. 1 catching job, but his playing time looks like it'll be on the upswing coming out of the All-Star break while Garrett Cooper's (wrist) absence creates an opening at designated hitter. Lewin Diaz and Jesus Aguilar should share the DH spot and first base in most games, but Fortes should rank as the Marlins' preferred option at DH against left-handed pitching when he's not filling in behind the plate. Stallings, who received Wednesday off, will be back in at catcher for Thursday's series finale while Fortes rests, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.