MLB Player News

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Cubs.

Realmuto was the driving force of the Phillies' offense Tuesday, recording his 16th home run of the season in the fifth inning against Jose Quintana. Two frames later, he smacked his 26th double of the season to put the team up 3-2. The power surge was a welcomed development for Realmuto as it was first homer since Aug. 1 and his first extra-base hit since Aug. 5. For the season, he's hitting .275/.328/.461 across 448 plate appearances.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 15-1 rout of the Marlins.

The young catcher went deep in the fourth and sixth innings, leading the way in a six-homer barrage for the Dodgers. It was Smith's first career multi-home run performance, and he's slashing .324/.375/.817 through his first 23 big-league games with nine long balls and 26 RBI.

Mejia isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Mejia is in line for a day off, opening the door for Austin Hedges to draw the start behind the dish and bat eighth. Mejia is batting .517 with two home runs, three RBI and a stolen base over nine games in August.

Diaz is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Angels.

He has started just once in the last six games, due largely to the fact he is hitting .167 with zero home runs in 60 at-bats since the All-Star break. Jacob Stallings will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Caratini is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Phillies.

Caratini posted excellent offensive numbers as the backup catcher earlier this year, but his production has slipped over a stretch during which Willson Contreras has been battling injuries. Jonathan Lucroy is starting behind the plate and hitting sixth against lefty Jason Vargas.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Nationals.

After starting four straight games in which he recorded two runs and one RBI, Farmer will get a breather Tuesday. Kyle Farmer will serve as the starting catcher, batting eighth.

Ruiz (finger) has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz fractured the pinkie finger on his (right) throwing hand when he was struck by a foul ball in his Aug. 3 game with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers haven't provided a formal timeline for Ruiz's return, but the decision to shut him down for the season suggests he'll be in store for at least a month-long recovery from the injury. The organization's top catching prospect currently in the minors now that Will Smith has moved up to the big club, the 21-year-old Ruiz finished the 2019 campaign with a .261/.331/.347 slash line and six home runs across 350 plate appearances between Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa.

Stallings went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and three RBI in the Pirates' 10-2 victory over the Angels on Monday.

The backstop chipped in on a big day for the Pittsburgh offense with a fourth-inning solo shot off Jose Rodriguez, for his fourth long ball of the season. He's performed respectably over his 102 at-bats in 2019, as this performance leaves him with a .284/.348/.441 slash line.

Diaz isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

Diaz will take a seat after going 0-for-6 over his last three contests. Jacob Stallings gets the call behind the dish and is set to bat eighth in Diaz's stead.

The Cardinals optioned Knizner to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

St. Louis didn't have a need for Knizner as a third catcher with the team bringing back top backstop Yadier Molina (thumb) from the 10-day injured list. During his month-long stint with the big club, Knizner appeared in 11 games, going 8-for-35 (.229 average) with a home run and four RBI.