MLB Player News

Smith will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Friday's game against the Nationals, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith has pieced together a .269/.381/.605 slash line with 20 homers and 54 RBI over 61 games at Triple-A this season, earning him another chance to stick in the big leagues. He figures to share the catching duties with Russell Martin moving forward after Austin Barnes was demoted to Triple-A.

Barnes was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Barnes has been scuffling at the dish since the All-Star break, slashing .133/.206/.233 over nine contests. As a result, he'll take a trip to the minors with the hope of finding his stroke. The Dodgers will recall Will Smith from Triple-A prior to Friday's clash in a corresponding move. Russell Martin and Smith figure to handle the catching duties moving forward.

Gomes is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Gomes will take a seat on the bench for Thursday's afternoon contest after starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader and going 2-for-3 with a home run. In his place, Kurt Suzuki is starting at catcher and hitting sixth.

Casali (knee) isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list before the end of July, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Casali is eligible to come off the IL on Friday, but since he has yet to resume baseball activities, he won't be ready to rejoin the Reds in the minimum amount of time. Meanwhile, fellow backstop Tucker Barnhart (oblique) is set to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville, putting him on track to beat Casali back from the IL. Assuming that's the case, Casali may have to settle for a reduced role once he's reinstated, likely at some point in August.

Barnhart (oblique) is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Louisville.

Sidelined for more than a month with a strained right oblique, Barnhart will get the green light for the final phase of the recovery process after taking batting practice and catching the last few days without any renewed discomfort. Because of the time he's missed, Barnhart may need to catch a full game or two for Louisville before the Reds reinstate him from the 10-day injured list. Once he's back with the big club, Barnhart should take over as the Reds' clear top catcher with Curt Casali (knee) and Kyle Farmer (concussion) both stuck on the IL and seemingly further behind in their respective rehab programs.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and an additional run Wednesday in the Cardinals' 14-8 win over the Pirates.

Knizner connected on his first career home run during the Cardinals' big nine-run second inning, which proved to be the difference in the high-scoring contest. The rookie has been working as the No. 2 catcher behind Matt Wieters lately, but Knizner will likely be optioned to Triple-A Memphis when Yadier Molina (thumb) likely returns from the 10-day injured list at some point in August.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

With the Pirates facing a quick turnaround for the series finale with St. Louis, Diaz will just be getting a routine breather for the final game of the homestand. Jacob Stallings will serve as the Pirates' catcher Thursday, working in a battery with Joe Musgrove.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Hedges will give way to Francisco Mejia in the series finale after manning the catcher spot in Wednesday's 7-2 win and going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The Padres seemed to be running more of a timeshare behind the dish coming out of the All-Star break, but Mejia appears to have since recaptured primary catching duties. Mejia will pick up his third start in four games while Hedges sits.

Gomes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Rockies.

Gomes took Jake McGee deep in the seven inning to record his fourth home run of the season. It marked his first homer since June 21 and just his fourth multi-hit game since May 1. His line for the campaign remains a poor .212/.306/.311 across 219 plate appearances.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

His fourth-inning shot opened the scoring and proved to be all the offense Vince Velasquez and the Phillies bullpen would need on the afternoon. Realmuto is now slashing .267/.318/.434 on the year with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games.