MLB Player News

D'Arnaud went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Mets.

The catcher took Jeurys Familia deep in the top of the eighth inning to bring Atlanta within a run, only for the Mets to pull away with two homers of their own in the bottom of the frame. On the season, d'Arnaud is slashing an impressive .336/.400/.566 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in only 38 games.

Mejia was optioned by the Padres on Saturday.

The Padres simply didn't need Mejia, as they acquired both Austin Nola and Jason Castro while he was out for a month with a bruised left thumb. Nola presumably lines up as the team's starting catcher heading into next season, but Castro will be a free agent, so Mejia could earn a bench spot next year. He won't necessarily have the job locked down, though, as he hit just .077/.143/.179 in 42 plate appearances this season, dragging his career line down to .225/.282/.386 in 362 trips to the plate. Eric Hosmer returned from a fractured finger in a corresponding move.

According to Padres manager Jayce Tingler, Campusano (wrist) is "a little behind" the return schedules of recently activated Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer (finger), Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Tingler did not set a target date for Campusano's return, though it's worth nothing that the other players he mentioned have since been activated. That could mean that Campusano has a chance to rejoin the club before the end of the regular season, though it would be wise to wait until a more concrete update is provided before making such an assumption. With Francisco Mejia optioned to the team's alternate training site Saturday, Campusano could have a spot on the active roster as the Padres' third catcher if he is able to make it back on the field before the end of the season.

Smith is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith finds himself sitting for the second game in a row, something that hadn't happened yet this season except during the period that he was sidelined with a neck injury. This doesn't seem to be a sign of him losing playing time, which would be quite a surprise given his 1.013 OPS, but it's instead due to the fact that Clayton Kershaw will throw to his personal catcher Austin Barnes, who's caught all of his starts this season.

Narvaez will hit the bench for the third straight game Saturday against the Royals.

It's possible Narvaez has slipped behind Jacob Nottingham on the depth chart, as he's started just four of the Brewers' last 11 games behind the plate. It's worth noting, however, that four of his times on the bench during that stretch have come against lefties like Saturday's starter Kris Bubic, so this may be more of a platoon situation than a true change in the hierarchy.

Caratini is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

This is the third straight game on the bench for Caratini, who has just a .456 OPS over his last 17 contests. Willson Contreras is starting at catcher and David Bote is serving as the designated hitter, so it appears that Caratini has fallen into more of a reserve role while manager David Ross looks to ride some hotter hitters.

Barnhart isn't in Saturday's lineup against the White Sox.

Barnhart and Curt Casali have alternated starts behind the plate over the last five games, and the former will retreat to the bench once again after starting Friday.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, two walks and a run scored Friday as he contributed to the Braves' 15-2 win over the Mets.

D'Arnaud ignited a six-run fourth inning with a two-run shot to left to extend the Braves' lead to 8-0. The 31-year-old is having the best season of his eight-year career as he hitting .336/.397/.550 with eight home runs, 30 RBI and 17 runs scored across 156 plate appearances.

Marchan got the start in the second game of Friday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays, going 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and a second run scored.

Remarkably, it was the 21-year-old's first professional homer at any level. Marchan's opportunities to contribute should dry up as soon as J.T. Realmuto (hip) is able to play again, but the rookie was at least able to make an impact when he got the chance.

Realmuto (hip) made progress Friday and could return for Monday's series opener against the Nationals, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto has already been ruled out for the Phillies' weekend series, but he could be on track for a return Monday as long as he doesn't experience any setbacks. Andrew Knapp should continue to serve behind the plate in Realmuto's absence.