MLB Player News

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

Down 0-2 on the count, Smith hit his second home run of the season, this time a two-run shot off Jeff Samardzija in the fourth inning. Both of Smith's long balls have been against the Giants this year. The 25-year-old backstop is hitting .231/.364/.500 across 26 at-bats.

Heineman is not in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Heineman started four of the Giants' first five games behind the plate, but he's since started just four of the team's last 10 contests. Chadwick Tromp remains the starting backstop Friday.

Kelly is not in the lineup Friday against the Padres.

Kelly started four of the last five games but will take a seat after going 1-for-11 during that stretch. Stephen Vogt will bat seventh and catch for Luke Weaver on Friday.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Friday at Milwaukee.

Barnhart started the last four games but will take a seat after going 0-for-11 during that stretch. Curt Casali will bat fifth and catch for Trevor Bauer in the series opener.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

Realmuto got the Phillies off to a strong start with a three-run blast off Jordan Montgomery in the first inning. He singled and came around to score another run in the third frame. Through six games, the backstop is slashing .333/.385/.708 with three homers and eight RBI.

Knizner will be Matt Wieters' primary backup at catcher while Yadier Molina (illness) remains out of action.

Knizner did not see any action over the first five games of the season and has primarily been serving as a bullpen catcher. He'll now ascend to the job of primary backup for the time being, which should afford him some opportunities behind the dish in coming games.

D'Arnaud isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays.

D'Arnaud has been sharing time behind the plate since he returned to action, and he'll sit for the second time in the last three games. Tyler Flowers will start at catcher, batting eighth.

Heineman is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Heineman operated as the Giants' clear No. 1 catcher during the July portion of the team's schedule, but he's settled into more a timeshare behind the plate since Chadwick Tromp replaced Rob Brantly as the other backstop on the active roster. Tromp has offered more fantasy-friendly numbers thus far than Heineman, who is slashing .222/.323/.259 with one-extra base through 31 plate appearances.

The Braves optioned Jackson to their alternate training site Thursday.

Jackson's latest stint with the Braves lasted all of one day, as his status as the team's No. 3 catcher made him an obvious choice for a demotion with teams needing to reduce their 30-man rosters to 28 ahead of Thursday's deadline. He'll likely move back up to the big club if either Tyler Flowers or Travis d'Arnaud is forced to miss time at any point.

Stallings is out of the lineup Thursday against the Twins.

Stallings will sit for the second time in three days, but he's picked up three starts in the Pirates' last five contests and still looks like the team's preferred backstop. John Ryan Murphy will get a turn behind the plate in Thursday's series finale, catching for JT Brubaker in the latter's first MLB start.