Alvarez (thumb) has flown back to his native Venezuela to tend to a family matter, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Alvarez had been set for activation June 11 upon the Mets' return home from London, but he might now be back a day or two later. The young catcher has been sidelined since April 20 with a fractured left thumb and has played five rehab games, going 3-for-14 with one home run.

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Higashioka got the Padres on the board in the fifth inning with his solo shot. This was his second homer over three games in June after he hit just one long ball over the first two months of the season. The backup catcher is at a .161/.175/.357 slash line with five RBI, four runs scored and two doubles across 57 plate appearances. Higashioka is unlikely to see much playing time as long as Luis Campusano is healthy.

Moreno went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Padres.

Moreno has gone 10-for-34 (.294) over his last 11 contests, hitting safely in nine of them. The homer was just his second of the year, as the catcher continues to struggle with generating power. Overall, he has a .242/.322/.344 slash line with 20 RBI, 19 runs scored, eight doubles, a triple and no stolen bases through 51 games.

The Pirates sent Koch outright to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Koch was designated for assignment Tuesday and went unclaimed on waivers. He'll remain in the Pirates organization and serve as depth at catcher, though his chances of reaching the majors again in 2024 appear slim.

X-rays on Stephenson's right hand came back clean Thursday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Stephenson was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and remained in the game. He apparently had some lingering effects, however, as he got X-rays after the contest. The team may give him an extra day of rest during its weekend series against the Cubs, but Stephenson appears to have avoided serious injury.

Campusano isn't in the Padres' lineup Thursday versus Arizona, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Prior to going 1-for-3 versus the Angels on Wednesday, Campusano had gone hitless across 30 plate appearances in a 10-game span. With the 25-year-old out of the lineup Thursday, Kyle Higashioka will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Contreras (forearm) was throwing, catching and running on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Rockies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Contreras has been participating in all three activities since the Cardinals' last stretch of road games. It's an encouraging sign that the 32-year-old backstop is recovering well from his fractured left forearm, but he still is not expected back until closer to the All-Star break. Until then, Ivan Herrera will continue to serve as St. Louis' primary catcher.

Murphy (elbow) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Nationals.

Murphy had to depart Tuesday's game against the Red Sox after being struck on the right elbow by a pitch and was then held out of action Wednesday. It will be just a one-game absence for Atlanta's top catcher, though, as he and his teammates take on Mitchell Parker and the Nationals on Thursday.

Smith is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.

Smith started the first two games of the series, going 3-for-7 with a double, a walk and an RBI. He will yield to Austin Barnes for the series finale as the Dodgers try to avoid a sweep.

Alvarez (thumb) will be behind the plate for Triple-A Syracuse on both Friday and Saturday before serving as the designated hitter Sunday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The young catcher is on track to return from a fractured left thumb early next week when the Mets return from London, but the organization will put him through his paces this weekend to make sure he's ready. Alvarez caught a combined no-hitter with High-A Brooklyn on Tuesday, and he's drawn praise from coaches for the work he's put in during his rehab assignment. While his thumb will remain in a splint for a while yet, he should immediately slot back in as New York's starting catcher when he returns, although his backup -- whether that's Tomas Nido or Luis Torrens -- could still see a bigger workload in the short term as Alvarez gets eased back into action.