MLB Player News

Ruiz went 4-for-4 with three home runs, a double, a walk and five RBI for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

Ruiz has been on a tear at the plate of late, collecting at least one hit in seven straight games to push his season average up to .309. Overall, the backstop has crushed 16 homers across 48 contests while notching an equal number of walks and strikeouts (23). He may be the organization's top hitter currently playing in the minors, but his path to big-league playing time remains blocked by Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

Stallings isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stallings will get a breather after he went 2-for-7 with two runs, a walk and two strikeouts across the last two games. Michael Perez will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Knizner went 2-for-4 with a two-run ground-rule double and a run in a loss to the Reds on Friday.

The reserve backstop made his first game appearance since July 7, and he came through with his first multi-hit effort since May 30. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Knizner will draw a second straight start behind the dish Saturday due to Yadier Molina's ongoing neck stiffness.

Narvaez isn't starting Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Narvaez had gone 2-for-8 with two strikeouts across the last two games, and he'll get a breather with left-hander Carlos Rodon starting for the White Sox on Saturday. Manny Pina will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-6 win over the Dodgers.

Diaz got the scoring kicked off for the Rockies with a solo homer to left off David Price in the third. The 30-year-old sent one out for the first time since July 7 after he homered five times in a span of eight games a few weeks back. He hasn't swung a healthy bat overall; Diaz is slashing .210/.278/.381 with eight homers, 19 RBI, 20 runs scored and 17:33 BB:K over 194 plate appearances. His lack of production has landed him in a timeshare behind the plate with Dom Nunez.

Realmuto went 1-for-3 with a home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Friday's win over Atlanta.

Realmuto made his presence felt in the first inning when he socked his 10th long ball of the season, and he also crossed home plate following an RBI double from Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the seventh. The star backstop is hitting .269 with a .816 OPS, 10 homers and 39 RBI on the season. Realmuto is also 17-for -59 in July with three homers and a steal for the month.

Gomes (oblique) took swings in the batting cage Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes took about 40 swings during his hitting session Friday, and he felt good afterward. He should continue to get work in the cage for a few more days, and the Nationals hope to get the 34-year-old back on the field shortly after. It's not yet clear when Gomes will be able to return to game action, but he's expected to require a rehab assignment before he's cleared to rejoin the big-league roster.

Wallach was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

Wallach appeared in 22 games with the major-league club earlier in the year then spent nearly two months at Jacksonville prior to Friday's call-up. He hit .204 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and 11 runs across 31 minor-league contests, and he'll serve as catching depth.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson had alternated starts behind the plate for the last eight games, but it's now Stephenson who will get the nod for the second game in a row. Stephenson's .774 OPS makes a great case for more playing time, though Barnhart's .754 mark isn't far behind, so a fairly even split should be expected down the stretch unless something changes.

Nola will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Marlins.

Nola returned from a knee injury Thursday but won't be asked to start two games in a row right away. Victor Caratini will catch Joe Musgrove in his absence.