MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Austin Barnes will check in behind the plate while Smith receives a maintenance day. Smith started at catcher or designated hitter in each of the Dodgers' last nine games, going 9-for-38 (.237 average) with a home run, eight RBI and four runs over that stretch.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Willson Contreras is behind the plate Wednesday and Rafael Ortega is getting a turn as the Cubs' designated hitter, closing off both of Gomes' avenues to starting roles. Though the Cubs' decision not to deal Contreras ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline is a negative development for Gomes' playing-time outlook, Gomes should still be in line for at least a handful of starts per week.

Ford has hit .344/.463/.580 with four homers, eight steals and a 24:37 BB:K across his last 34 games for Single-A Modesto.

He opened the season ice cold, so Ford's season-long line still looks good but not great at .266/.412/.423. Nonetheless, the 19-year-old's recent production is far more reflective of the potential he brings to the table. With growing pop and good speed, Ford offers the promise of a tantalizing fantasy package at the catcher position. He's most likely a few years away, though, with his timeline depending on whether the Mariners remain inclined to keep him behind the plate.

Rodriguez has been on fire over his last nine games at High-A Greensboro, hitting .450 with six home runs and nine walks while striking out just twice in 41 plate appearances.

This red-hot stretch has lifted his season line to .294/.388/.533 with 15 homers in 85 games -- terrific results that have put him on the precipice of joining the game's top 100 prospects. Rodriguez may not develop into a big-time power bat, but as an athletic, switch-hitting catcher with decent pop and strong defensive skills, he's looking like an underrated part of the Pirates' return on Joe Musgrove.

Naylor has a .295/.424/.558 batting line with five home runs and four steals through 27 games for Triple-A Columbus.

All told, he's whacked 11 homers (plus 18 doubles and four triples) and swiped 15 bags while getting on base at a spectacular .426 clip across Double-A and Triple-A this season. Naylor has also turned in much-improved work behind the plate this year, slashing his passed-ball numbers drastically while throwing out 41 percent of would-be base stealers. With Austin Hedges and Luke Maile offering almost nothing offensively, it might not be too much longer before the Guardians give Naylor a shot to join his big brother in the majors.

Manager Buck Showalter said McCann (oblique) is on track to return from the 10-day injured list for Thursday's series opener against Atlanta and will likely be part of a near-even timeshare at catcher with Tomas Nido in the short term, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Showalter said he initially expects McCann and Nido to alternate turns behind plate in an effort to ease McCann back into the mix, but that arrangement won't necessarily remain in place for the rest of the season. Before the playing time tilts more in McCann's favor, however, he'll likely need to show some improvement at the plate, as Nido has historically been the superior pitch framer of the two. McCann has a much better track record of offensive success than Nido, but the 32-year-old was sitting on a career-worst .543 OPS before he was placed on the IL on July 10 with a left oblique strain.

Barnes went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI in a 9-5 win over San Francisco on Tuesday.

Barnes came into the contest batting a paltry .160 on the campaign, but he contributed to a big offensive night for Los Angeles with his first multi-hit performance since May 13. The backup backstop collected his first extra-base hit in over a month with an RBI double in the eighth inning. Barnes has managed a .305 OBP thanks to a 14.2 percent walk rate, but he's otherwise endured a rough season at the plate.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a double and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Tuesday.

Murphy drove in the only run of the night for the Athletics in the fifth inning with a single that plated Jonah Bride. The 27-year-old's two-bagger was his fifth extra-base hit over the last seven games, a span during which he's hitting just .250 but owns a 1.004 OPS.

Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Christian Vazquez, whom the Astros acquired from Boston on Monday, will step in behind the plate for his Houston debut Wednesday while opposing his former team. Though he's not expected to play quite as frequently for the Astros as he did with the Red Sox, Vazquez should still operate as his new team's clear No. 1 option behind the plate, resulting in Maldonado's role taking a significant hit. The defensive-minded Maldonado had already been a fringy option in leagues that start two catchers, as he's maintaining a .173 average to go with 10 home runs, 30 RBI and 26 runs over 79 games this season.

Barnhart went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Twins.

Barnhart appeared to lose hold of the primary catching job to Eric Haase shortly before the All-Star break, but the two seem to have moved into more of a timeshare lately. The Tigers will go with Barnhart behind the dish Wednesday for the third time in four games, while Haase is included in the lineup as the team's designated hitter as Miguel Cabrera gets a maintenance day.