MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith started the past three games behind the plate but will take a seat Sunday after going 1-for-10 with one double, one run and two walks. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale.

Gomes is not in the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes made his first start of the season Saturday and went 2-for-4 with one RBI, and he'll head to the bench Sunday. Jonathan Lucroy will catch for Max Scherzer in the series finale.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

On the bench for the sixth time in 10 games to begin the season, Diaz appears to be behind Dom Nunez on the Rockies' depth chart at catcher. Diaz is off to a 2-for-18 start at the plate while Nunez has gone 4-for-17 with three home runs, so Diaz doesn't appear likely to claim the No. 1 role anytime soon.

McCann is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

The 30-year-old started the first five games of the season for the Mets but will receive a breather in Sunday's series finale. McCann is is 3-for-17 with one run, one RBI, two walks and five strikeouts in 19 plate appearances. Tomas Nido will take over behind the plate for New York and will bat eighth.

Narvaez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals.

Narvaez started the first two games of the series but will head to the bench for the finale after going 3-for-7 with a run and two walks. Manny Pina will start behind the plate and bat sixth Sunday for Milwaukee.

Stephenson is playing roughly one-third of the time at catcher behind Tucker Barnhart, though manager David Bell suggested that ratio could change later, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson is off to a great start with the bat (5-for-12 with a homer), but so is Barnhart, and Barnhart is the better defensive catcher. As the season progresses, and the Reds face more left-handed starters, Stephenson could work himself into more playing time.

Stallings went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk in Saturday's win over the Cubs.

Stallings has endured a slow start to the season and even went through a four-game hitless stretch, but he's now reached base at least twice in each of his last two contests. The backstop is not known for his offensive ability and his bat has been lacking in the first few games of this season as well, but he is slowly moving in the right direction, hitting safely in back-to-back games for the first time in 2021.

Realmuto isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Realmuto had started each of the last four games and went 5-for-16 with a home run, five RBI, three runs and four strikeouts during that time. Andrew Knapp will take his place behind the dish Saturday, batting seventh.

Caratini isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Caratini caught Joe Musgrove's no-hitter against Texas on Friday, and he'll get a breather for the second game of the series. Luis Campusano will start behind the dish Saturday, batting eighth.

Barnhart went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's win against the Diamondbacks.

Barnhart doubled to drive home a run in the sixth inning, then plated the eventual winning run with a single in the 10th. The backstop extended his hitting streak to five games in the process and has notched consecutive three-hit performances. Barnhart is slashing .444/.474/.778 through 19 plate appearances this season.