MLB Player News

Smith (hand) will be included on the Dodgers' wild-card roster but available only in a pinch-hitting capacity, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has played just one game since Sept. 3 due to a fracture in his right hand but did some live hitting during Monday's team workout without issue. He apparently has not improved enough to catch, at least not on a full-time basis, and with Shohei Ohtani filling the designated-hitter spot, Smith will be used only as a pinch hitter. That leaves Ben Rorvedt and Dalton Rushing to serve as the Dodgers' catchers during the wild-card round.

Diaz (oblique) is not on the Padres' wild-card roster.

Diaz suffered a minor oblique strain during Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks and wasn't able to progress enough to be included on the team's wild-card roster. The Padres will carry three catchers, with Martin Maldonado and Luis Campusano behind starter Freddy Fermin.

Smith (hand) will take more swings in the batting cage Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith responded well to taking swings in the batting cage Saturday, and if Monday's session goes well, the catcher will face some live pitching Monday night. If the session goes poorly, Smith would likely be ruled out for the Dodgers' upcoming wild-card round series against the Reds beginning Tuesday. In his absence, Ben Rortvedt has been handling the bulk of the workload behind the plate, and he would likely do so if Smith can't give it a go versus Cincinnati.

Alvarez will undergo surgery in the coming days to repair a sprained UCL in his right thumb, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez suffered the injury in late August, but he elected to delay surgery until the offseason and returned to play in early September. The operation could delay Alvarez's offseason workouts a bit, but it should not affect his availability for the beginning of spring training.

Diaz's status for Tuesday's wild-card series opener versus the Cubs is in question due to a strained oblique, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Diaz tweaked his oblique during Saturday's 12-4 win over the Diamondbacks. The Padres don't believe the injury is serious, but Martin Maldonado and Luis Campusano will travel with the team to Chicago as insurance in case Diaz isn't included on the roster for the wild-card round. Diaz is the clear No. 2 catcher for the Padres behind Freddy Fermin, but he has served as the personal catcher this season for Nick Pivetta, who is slated to start Game 1 of the series.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (hand) responded well to taking swings in the batting cage Saturday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers aren't closing the door on Smith being available for the team's three-game wild-card series that begins Tuesday, but Roberts noted that the catcher's availability would be contingent on him taking live at-bats Monday without issue. If the Dodgers opt to hold Smith out for the opening round of the playoffs, Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing would serve as their options behind the plate. Smith has been on the shelf since Sept. 13 due to a hairline fracture in his right hand.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

With the Brewers having secured baseball's top record heading into the regular-season finale, Contreras will receive a second straight day off ahead of what Milwaukee hopes will be an extended playoff run. Danny Jansen will handle catching duties for Milwaukee.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Stephenson will receive a breather for the regular-season finale after he started behind the plate the last two days. Jose Trevino will handle catching duties Sunday.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Realmuto will get the day off for the Phillies' regular-season finale. Assuming the catcher remains on the bench for the contest, he'll head into the playoffs with a .257/.315/.384 slash line, 12 home runs, 52 RBI and 57 runs scored across 549 plate appearances.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Moreno is absent from the starting nine for Arizona's regular-season finale. Ketel Marte will DH while James McCann handles catching duties. Assuming Moreno doesn't enter off the bench, he'll finish the season with a .286/.352/.435 slash line, nine home runs, 44 runs scored and 40 RBI across 307 plate appearances.