MLB Player News

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Manager Clint Hurdle had settled into a pattern of alternating the catching starts between Diaz and Jacob Stallings over the past week, but Diaz will now sit for consecutive days to wrap up the series in New York. The downturn in playing time is likely a reaction to Diaz's 5-for-38 start to the second half, which has resulted in his season-long batting average dropping from .274 to .249.

Gomes went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.

Gomes connected in the seventh inning off Joe Kelly to give Washington their third run. It was Gomes' second homer in his last two games, but he still holds a disappointing .213/.205/.325 slash line over 197 at-bats.

Smith went 3-for-3 with a solo homer, two doubles and six RBI in a 9-3 win over the Nationals on Saturday.

Smith connected for his fourth homer off Joe Ross in the third inning, hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and mashed two-run doubles in the sixth and seventh innings to lead the Dodgers. It was his first start since being recalled and named primary catcher. Over the full season, the 24-year-old now holds a .345/.394/.862 slash line in just 29 at-bats.

Grandal is not in Saturday's lineup against the Cubs.

Grandal has started the past four games, going 4-for-13 with three RBI and a 3:2 BB:K during that stretch. Manny Pina is starting behind the dish and hitting seventh in this one.

Diaz is not in the lineup Saturday against the Mets.

Diaz heads to the bench as he continues to split time over the past week with Jacob Stallings, who is starting at catcher Saturday and batting eighth. Diaz has been in a slump in the 13 games since the All-Star break, recording a .154 on-base percentage with nine strikeouts and one extra-base hit.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Saturday at home against the Rockies.

The 28-year-old is absent from the lineup just one day after returning from an oblique injury that landed him on the 10-day injured list. It appears to be just a routine day off for Barnhart as he's eased back from his injury. Ryan Lavarnway will start at catcher, batting ninth.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a second run scored for Double-A Mississippi on Friday.

Promoted to the Southern League a little over a month ago, Contreras had some initial struggles at the new level but has gone 12-for-26 with a sharp 4:2 BB:K over his last eight games, homering in both of the last two contests. The 21-year-old remains the most exciting catcher in the Atlanta system from a fantasy perspective, although he has some real-life competition from the club's 2019 first-round pick, defensive whiz Shea Langeliers.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Giants.

Hedges delivered a game-tying solo shot off Giants starter Jeff Samardzija in the fifth inning, but that was the only run the Padres managed to plate. Hedges has gone 6-for-18 with two homers, six RBI and two doubles in his last six games, dating back to July 7. For the year, the catcher has a .195/.260/.344 batting line with eight homers, 29 RBI and 18 runs scored in 66 games while splitting time with Francisco Mejia behind the dish.

Contreras went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.

More noteworthy than the empty box score was the fact that Contreras batted first for the first time all season. The slugging catcher previously hadn't batted any higher than fourth, but Chicago manager Joe Maddon decided to mix up his lineup against Milwaukee lefty Gio Gonzalez. It remains to be seen whether Contreras will get more time in the leadoff spot. If he does, the 27-year-old could see an uptick in runs but a decrease in RBI.

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

Mejia will head to the bench after picking up a pair of base knocks Thursday night. Austin Hedges draws the start behind the dish and is set to bat eighth with Mejia out of the mix.