MLB Player News

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

Knizner lined a double to left field in the fifth inning before coming around to score. The 31-year-old catcher recorded his first hit of the month Friday and is batting just .059 with a run scored across 18 plate appearances in September. Overall, he's slashing .159/.229/.295 with four runs scored and a home run in 48 plate appearances this season.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Miami.

Smith has tallied a base hit in each of his last four starts, but the Dodgers will keep him on the bench to begin Saturday's contest and instead start Hunter Feduccia at catcher.

Flores isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.

Flores has recorded a base hit in each of his last six games, but the Pirates will keep him on the bench to begin Saturday's affair. Henry Davis will take over behind the dish and bat ninth.

Alvarez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Alvarez will grab a seat on the bench Saturday after going 0-for-3 with a walk during Friday's series opener. Luis Torrens will handle catching duties and bat eighth.

Contreras went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, three additional RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 20-0 win over the Reds.

Contreras opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first and added two more RBI during Milwaukee's eight-run fifth inning. The star backstop capped the scoring in emphatic fashion, crushing a three-run homer off position player Jose Trevino in the eighth to make it 20-0. The blast was Contreras' 16th of the season. He's gone yard in three of his last five games and is hitting .282 with a .915 OPS across nine games since the beginning of September.

Ford was removed from Friday's game against the Angels due to pain in his left hand/wrist, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Ford reportedly injured his hand during his final at-bat in the sixth inning, and he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth. The Nationals have sent the 23-year-old for imaging to determine the severity of his injury, and an update on his status should come before Saturday's game.

Salas isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Salas was expected to receive the lion's share of starts behind the plate when the Padres called him up at the beginning of September, but after going 0-for-12 across his first five major-league contests, he'll now miss out on the starting nine for a third consecutive game. Freddy Fermin will handle catching duties and bat ninth Friday.

Cavanaugh is not in Friday's starting lineup against the Padres, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cavanaugh will get a breather after going 3-for-12 over his last five outings. Andrew Knizner will start behind home plate for Friday's series opener and bat eighth while forming a battery with Anthony Molina.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Washington's game against the Angels on Friday.

Despite launching a solo shot during Wednesday's affair with the Padres, Ruiz will sit out the series opener against the Angels. Harry Ford will catch balls and strikes while batting seventh for the Nationals.

Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

The switch-hitting backstop took Walker Buehler deep to lead off the third inning and open the scoring, but the game quickly got away from the Nationals in an eventual 9-2 loss. Ruiz has been in a timeshare with Harry Ford since late August but has been by far the more productive hitter in that time -- over his last 10 games, Ruiz is batting .344 (11-for-32) with two of his 10 homers on the season.