MLB Player News

Realmuto is not in Thursday's lineup against the Giants.

He had started the last four games and 13 of the last 14, hitting .276 with four home runs and one steal in 58 at-bats over that stretch. Andrew Knapp will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Casali (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Casali has been inactive since July 18 due to right knee soreness. A mid-August return is becoming more likely for the veteran backstop who is slashing .253/.337/.420 in 172 plate appearances. Tucker Barnhart will likely split playing time with Casali once the latter is activated.

Caratini is not in the lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Caratini has started all four games behind the dish since Willson Contreras went down with a hamstring injury, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's series opener as Jonathan Lucroy, who signed with the Cubs on Wednesday, gets his first start with Chicago. The 25-year-old Caratini owns a solid .265/.355/.462 triple-slash through 52 games with the Cubs this season, though he's hitting just .205 with a .697 OPS in 19 games since the All-Star break.

Bart was promoted to Double-A Richmond on Thursday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 22-year-old catcher hit .265/.315/.479 with 12 home runs in 251 plate appearances in the California League. Double-A will be a fair test for Bart, as he was a little old for High-A. He will clearly hit for power and will clearly stick at catcher, but the jury is still out on whether he will be capable of posting high batting averages and on-base percentages against MLB pitchers. If he fares well in the upper levels of the minors, Bart could make his big-league debut next summer.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cubs.

Barnhart has started the past four games behind the dish and gone 5-for-14 with three home runs and a 3:1 BB:K. Kyle Farmer is starting at catcher and hitting eighth in place of Barnhart in this one.

Ruiz was put on the seven-day IL at Triple-A Oklahoma City with a broken pinky, J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register reports.

Ruiz broke his finger when he was hit on the hand by a pitch on Saturday. The move is retroactive to Sunday, though the 21-year-old catcher figures to miss extended time with the significant injury. Ranked as the 36th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Ruiz hit .261 with six home runs and 34 RBI in 314 at-bats between Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City this season.

Barnes went 2-for-4 with a solo blast for the Oklahoma City Dodgers on Wednesday and has now homered in five straight games.

Barnes has responded well to his demotion to the minors, hitting .333 (11-for-33) with five homers and 11 runs batted in over eight games. With top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz potentially out for the season with a broken finger, Barnes figures to get the bulk of the starts with Oklahoma City. We may see him in the majors again this season, but Will Smith's emergence as an offensive force since joining the big club means that Barnes' days as the primary catcher for the Dodgers are likely numbered.

Davis was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Davis is no longer needed with the big club, as Jonathan Lucroy, who signed with the Cubs on Wednesday, is set to join the team ahead of Thursday's series opener in Cincinnati. The backstop went hitless in three at-bats during his most recent stint with Chicago.

Diaz is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers.

Diaz has started the past two games and has gone 1-for-6 with a run scored and a 2:2 BB:K. Jacob Stallings is starting behind the dish and hitting eighth in this one.

Smith is not starting Wednesday against the Cardinals, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Smith owns an excellent .293/.354/.707 slash line with six homers in nine games this season. The rookie will sit in favor of veteran Russell Martin on Wednesday.