MLB Player News

Contreras went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's spring win over the Mets.

Contreras entered as a substitute for starter Brian McCann and showcased some of his power. The 21-year-old had a .285/.347/.436 slash line between Low-A Rome and High-A Florida in 2018.

Diaz (illness) isn't included in the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Diaz fell ill about a week ago and is apparently still working to regain health, which has prompted the Pirates to lean on the likes of Francisco Cervelli, Jacob Stallings and non-roster invitee Steve Baron for work behind the plate early in the exhibition schedule. There has been no indication from the team that Diaz's illness is a long-term issue, so he'll likely return to action at some point in the near future and erase any concern about his status for Opening Day. With Cervelli a candidate to be traded elsewhere this season and perhaps likely to see less time behind the plate compared to previous years due to his concussion history, Diaz should earn more starts this season than most backup catchers around the league.

Barnhart (personal) will start at catcher and bat seventh in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Barnhart had been scheduled to play in Monday's exhibition versus the Mariners but was scratched shortly before opening pitch to tend to a personal issue. With the backstop having seemingly taken care of the matter, he'll re-enter the lineup for what will be his second appearance of the Reds' Cactus League slate.

Barnhart was scratched from Monday's game against the Mariners for personal reasons, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barnhart was replaced by Chris Okey in the lineup. At this point, it's unclear when the backstop will be available again.

Barnhart (undisclosed) was scratched from Monday's game against the Mariners, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear why Barnhart was removed from Monday's lineup at the moment. Chris Okey took his place behind the dish.

Casali (hip) is unlikely to play in spring training games until mid-March, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The party line from the Reds is that they still expect him to be ready for the start of the season, but will two weeks of game action be enough to get his timing down? The Reds can afford to be patient with Casali's return, having traded for Kyle Farmer and selecting Connor Joe in the Rule 5 draft.

D'Arnaud (surgery) still isn't ready to make his spring training debut, although he is healthy enough to play, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

D'Arnaud is coming off Tommy John surgery, and although the Mets are confident he's healthy enough to play in spring training games, they'll limit him to reps in the back fields for now as a precaution. It's unclear as to when he may take the field with the big-league club, but manager Mickey Callaway stated he wants to see d'Arnaud go through more simulated drills before reintroducing him to game action.

Gomes (illness) will start at catcher and bat sixth Saturday in the Nationals' Grapefruit League opener versus the Astros, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes missed some time this week while battling an illness, but it wasn't anything that was ever believed to be serious. After coming over from the Indians via trade in November, Gomes is expected to be deployed in a timeshare behind the plate with Kurt Suzuki this season.

Gomes was absent from Thursday's workouts due to an illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

This is unfortunate to hear, but it doesn't seem like it will be of any long-term concern. Gomes is still expected to catch the team's Grapefruit League opener Saturday, barring any unexpected lingering effects from this issue.

Diaz did not practice Wednesday due to illness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

There haven't been any suggestions that Diaz will miss significant time, so his status for Opening Day shouldn't be threatened. He's expected to back up Francisco Cervelli again this season.