MLB Player News

Gomes went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI in Monday's 16-4 rout of the Mets.

It's been a sluggish start to the season for Gomes -- the hits, runs and RBI were all his first in four games -- but like many Nats hitters, his bat woke up at the start of the team's road trip. If the 33-year-old can put together another good performance or two, he could cut into Kurt Suzuki's playing time behind the plate.

Hedges went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Dodgers.

Hedges has been sharing the playing time at catcher with Francisco Mejia, and Hedges hasn't done enough offensively to become the team's primary backstop -- he has only hit .125 in 26 at-bats.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 13-8 loss to the Phillies.

D'Arnaud has hit safely in all but one game this season, with six of his hits going for extra bases (four doubles, two homers). The former Met found new life with the Rays down the stretch last year, and while his track record suggests this could all come crashing down at any second, d'Arnaud is running hot at the moment and has the clear playing-time edge behind the plate in Atlanta.

Realmuto went 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI in Monday's 13-8 win over the Braves.

The backstop homered in three straight games last week and is now up to five homers in just 39 plate appearances. Realmuto was in a clear tier by himself atop the catcher pool during draft season and is only separating himself further, even if he's yet to attempt a stolen base.

Fortes joined the Marlins' player pool Monday.

Fortes will work out at the team's secondary training site and is unlikely to fill anything other than an organizational depth role. He hit just .217/.293/.308 in 76 games for High-A Jupiter last season.

Leon was added to the Marlins' player pool on Monday.

Leon will give the Marlins some added depth behind the plate this season, but he's unlikely to make his big-league debut except in the event of an injury crisis. He spent last year at Double-A Mobile in the Angels' system, hitting .178/.315/.296 over 68 games.

Mejia will sit Monday against the Dodgers.

Mejia has started nine times behind the plate this season compared to eight for Austin Hedges, who starts Sunday. The pair have alternated starts for eight straight games, so Mejia should have a good chance to return to action Tuesday.

Castillo signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins and was added to the organization's 60-man roster pool Aug. 3.

The 36-year-old will bolster Miami's depth at catcher, but he'll remain at the organization's alternate training site for the duration of 2020 unless the Marlins require another backstop at some point. The Marlins are already without two of their top three catchers in Jorge Alfaro (COVID-19) and Chad Wallach (undisclosed).

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's victory over Arizona.

Mejia was one of five Padres to go deep in the victory, staking the team to a nine-run lead with a two-run shot in the third inning. The long ball was a much-needed sign of life from the backstop position for San Diego -- Mejia is slashing .103/.188/.241 through 29 plate appearances this season while Austin Hedges is at .091/.091/.182.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Barnes and Will Smith have been deployed in a fairly even timeshare behind the dish this season, with Barnes having started seven games to Smith's nine. Though the Dodgers value Barnes for his defensive skills, he's been the inferior fantasy option of the two thus far, slashing .091/.167/.091 with two RBI and one run entering play Sunday.