MLB Player News

Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Angels.

Ruiz's first major-league at-bat was a booming success, as he took Angels starter Julio Teheran deep in the third inning to get the Dodgers on the board. The 22-year-old catcher spent most of 2019 with Double-A Tulsa and also earned time with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He produced a combined .261 batting average with six homers and 34 RBI in the minors last year. Ruiz will share catching duties with Austin Barnes while Will Smith (neck) is unavailable.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Mejia was behind the plate for the first two games of the series, going hitless across seven at-bats. Austin Hedges will check in for him at catcher, working in a battery with starting pitcher Garrett Richards.

Ruiz is starting at catcher and batting ninth against the Angels on Sunday.

It didn't take long for Ruiz to get his first start after earning his first big-league callup Saturday when Will Smith (neck) was placed on the injured list. It's tough to know what to expect from Ruiz, whose prospect star has faded a bit due to less-than-stellar seasons at the Double-A level in 2018 and 2019. Austin Barnes is likely to serve as the Dodgers' primary catcher while Smith remains out, though Ruiz could get a fair amount of playing time considering the team's typical commitment to giving catchers adequate rest.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Barnes had started the past three games in place of Will Smith (neck), who has since been placed on the 10-day injured list. Though Keibert Ruiz will step in to replace him behind the dish in the series finale, Barnes should still see the lion's share of the starts at catcher while Smith is sidelined. Barnes is slashing an underwhelming .250/.286/.350 on the season, but he's been running hot at the plate lately, going 8-for-18 with a home run and a double over his past five games.

Tromp is not in Sunday's lineup against the Athletics.

He is hitting .200 with two home runs, 10 strikeouts and one walk in 30 at-bats this month. Tyler Heineman will start behind the dish and hit seventh.

Narvaez is not in Sunday's lineup against the Cubs.

The lefty-hitting backstop will head to the bench with southpaw Jon Lester on the hill for Chicago. Manny Pina will start behind the dish and hit seventh.

Caratini is not in Sunday's lineup against the Brewers.

He is hitting .304/.333/.348 in 23 at-bats this month. Kyle Schwarber will start at designated hitter while Steven Souza gets the start in left field.

D'Arnaud is not in Sunday's lineup against the Marlins, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

He is hitting .293 with three home runs and a 13:0 K:BB in 10 games this month. Tyler Flowers will get the start behind the dish, hitting seventh.

Ruiz was called up for the first time by the Dodgers on Saturday.

Ruiz would be the catcher of the future in many organizations, though the presence of Will Smith, who landed on the injured list with neck inflammation in a corresponding move, prevents him from holding that title for the Dodgers. Still, he's a talented prospect, with strong contact ability offsetting a lack of power and a future as a roughly average defender. Just 22 years old, Ruiz is quite young for a catcher, and he didn't dominate the upper minors last season, hitting just .261/.331/.347 in 85 games in Double-A and Triple-A, so expectations should probably be muted for him this year.

Smith was placed on the injured list with neck inflammation Saturday.

The move was made retroactive to Thursday, so Smith could return as soon as Aug. 23, though it's unclear whether or not he's expected to do so. Keibert Ruiz was called up in a corresponding move and will split time with Austin Barnes until Smith returns.