MLB Player News

Herrera will be recalled by the Cardinals on Friday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Herrera spent a few days with the Cardinals in late May, and he'll rejoin the big-league club as a backup to Andrew Knizner since the team will place Yadier Molina (knee) on the 10-day injured list Friday. After failing to make any plate appearances during his first stint with the major-league club, Herrera should have more chances to prove himself at the top level while Molina is sidelined.

Barnhart remains on the bench Thursday against Texas.

Barnhart hasn't sat in back-to-back games at any prior point this season, which raises the possibility that he's dealing with an unreported minor injury. He did make an appearance off the bench Wednesday, however, which suggests that this might be nothing other than a chance to clear his head after he opened the year with a .541 OPS through 43 games. Eric Haase will make his second straight start behind the plate.

Murphy (shoulder) is back to doing work in the batting cage following a temporary shutdown of his rehab process, the Associated Press reports.

The veteran backstop is both batting and catching balls from a machine as he begins to ramp his rehab work following a pause. Murphy had previously been shut down for 10 days due to a lack of responsiveness from his shoulder, so the fact he seems to be increasing his activity level without any reported setbacks is encouraging.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday in a 4-1 victory against the Angels.

Smith provided all the runs that the Dodgers would need with his first-inning, three-run shot off Reid Detmers. The long ball was the backstop's eighth of the season and third over his past nine games. Smith is slashing .306/.359/.611 and has added two doubles, six RBI and five runs over the nine-game stretch.

Serven will start at catcher and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Guardians.

Now in the lineup for the fifth time in eight games, Serven appears to have overtaken Elias Diaz as the Rockies' preferred catcher for the time being. Since being called up to the big leagues May 17, Serven has hit .277 with three home runs, nine RBI and five runs in 51 plate appearances. If his playing time continues to trend upward from here, Serven could prove to be a viable fantasy option even in leagues that start one catcher, particularly in weeks in which the Rockies have a homestand.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.

On the bench for the fifth in eight games, Diaz appears to have been surpassed on the depth chart at catcher by Brian Serven. Though the three-year, $14.5 million extension he signed in November was expected to give him plenty of job security as the Rockies' No. 1 backstop, Diaz has largely squandered that goodwill by producing a puny .546 OPS through 159 plate appearances this season. It's a 228-point drop in his OPS from 2021.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.

Since coming off the 10-day injured list Friday, Gomes has proceeded to start in four of the Cubs' subsequent six games while going 5-for-17 with a solo home run and an additional run. He'll be back on the bench for the day game after a night game, but Gomes looks as though he'll play more frequently than the typical No. 2 catcher since the Cubs often deploy top backstop Willson Contreras as a designated hitter.

Higashioka went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer during Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Higashioka's three-run homer off Rays starter Shane McClanahan ended up being the difference during Wednesday's win. After not hitting a home run over his first 34 games, the backup catcher has three homers and five RBI over his last two appearances. Higashioka is still slashing just .177/.229/.313, but he's certainly trending in the right direction.

Zavala went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 13-0 romp over the Tigers.

In only his third big-league game of the year, Zavala took Alex Lange deep in the fifth inning for a two-run shot, his first homer with the White Sox in 2022. The 28-year-old backstop has shown plenty of power in his career, slugging 38 homers in 214 career games for Triple-A Charlotte, and Zavala could see consistent work in a timeshare with Reese McGuire while Yasmani Grandal (back) is on the shelf.

Stubbs went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

With the Phillies in danger of not only losing but being shut out, Stubbs rode to the rescue with a walkoff blast against current Miami closer Tanner Scott in the ninth inning. Stubbs doesn't see much action behind J.T. Realmuto, but he's making an impact when he is in the lineup, batting .342 (13-for-38) on the year with three homers and nine RBI.