MLB Player News

Nola has been taking reps at second and third base and could play any of the four infield positions, if needed, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Nola was acquired from the Mariners on Aug. 30 and has made each of his four starts at catcher since that time. However, he made two starts at first base earlier this season with the Mariners and also switched to third base during one contest. Nola figures to spend most of his time with San Diego at catcher, but his defensive versatility could allow him to get a few more at-bats over the course of the season with both Jason Castro and Luis Campusano (hand) in line for starts behind the plate.

Nido (undisclosed) has been cleared to resume baseball activities and returned to the Mets' player pool Saturday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Nido landed on the injured list in late August for undisclosed reasons, though it appears to be COVID-19 related. He should be ready to go before too long, though Robinson Chirinos has since joined the team, which could mean Nido is no longer needed.

Smith is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith has looked quite good in his last eight games, hitting .280/.455/.720. Austin Barnes takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Campusano was originally scheduled to start Saturday against Oakland but was scratched with left hand soreness.

Campusano earned his first career callup Friday and hit a solo homer in his big-league debut. He'll have to wait at least a bit to follow that performance up, though there's been no indication that his injury is a long-term issue.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-2 with two walks and a two-run home run in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

His seventh-inning shot off Daniel Hudson brought Atlanta to within a run, but the team couldn't complete the comeback in a 10-9 loss. On the season, d'Arnaud is slashing a dynamic .326/.371/.551 with five homers and 20 RBI in 24 games.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run during Friday's win over the Rockies.

With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh, Smith launched a two-run homer off Tyler Kinley, scoring Chris Taylor in the process. It was the fifth long ball of the year for the 25-year-old backstop, who is averaging .228/.392/.544 across 22 games.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and four total RBI in Friday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Contreras hit a two-run single in the first inning to open the scoring. He added an RBI single in the third and then went yard in the sixth to cap off a strong overall performance. Contreras has found his touch in September -- he's 8-for-17 (.471) with five RBI and six runs scored in his last four games. The 28-year-old is now slashing .234/.329/.411 with five homers, 17 RBI, 26 runs scored and a stolen base through 37 contests overall.

Campusano's contract was selected by the Padres on Friday.

Campusano will make his major-league debut Friday as he serves as the designated hitter and bats seventh against the Athletics. The 21-year-old had a .905 OPS with 15 home runs and 81 RBI at the High-A level, but it's unclear whether he'll see significant playing time on the major-league roster.

Stallings isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Stallings went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts during the matinee, and he'll take a seat for Game 2. John Ryan Murphy will take his place behind the dish.

Knizner was optioned off the Cardinals' active roster Friday.

Knizner had been filling in as the backup catcher with Matt Wieters out with a bruised toe, going 4-for-16 at the plate. He'll head back to the team's alternate training site now that Wieters is ready to return.