MLB Player News

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

A 3-for-3, four-RBI effort Wednesday raised Narvaez's average to .316 with three home runs and 12 RBI in his last 10 games. Manny Pina is catching Saturday afternoon, with Narvaez presumably gearing up for the nightcap.

Jackson went 1-for-3 with two walks, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 14-10 win over the Cubs.

The catcher took Dan Winkler deep in the second inning as part of an 11-run eruption by Miami. Jackson is getting a long look behind the plate for the rebuilding Marlins -- Jorge Alfaro started in left field in this one -- but so far the 25-year-old hasn't shown anything but occasional power, slashing .182/.250/.485 through his first 11 games with the club with three homers and 3:16 BB:K.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Mets.

After bringing home a run with a sac fly in the third inning, Smith played hero by turning around a Jeurys Familia sinker for a two-run shot to lead off the top of the 10th. The 26-year-old backstop has wielded a big stick since the All-Star break, slashing .299/.429/.627 over his last 21 games with six of his 16 homers on the season.

Vazquez is expected to be activated off the bereavement list Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Vazquez, who has been away from the team since Wednesday, could be in line to catch the debut of Chris Sale (elbow), who is also expected to be activated Saturday. Backup catcher Kevin Plawecki has filled in the last three games. Plawecki's batted .400 (18-for-45) since the All-Star break, much better than Vazquez's .227 average, so there could be a more equitable share of the job until Vazquez's bat gets going.

Plawecki went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

Plawecki made his third straight start and fifth over the last six games. Christian Vazquez is expected to return from the bereavement list Saturday, so Plawecki's run of starts could end, but the backup catcher has hit well of late, which contributed to an uptick in playing time even before Vazquez was away from the team. Plawecki is 18-for-45 (.400) with six RBI and six runs scored over 16 games since the All-Star break.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a strikeout in a 3-2 win against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Murphy deposited a 1-2 offering from Robbie Ray over the left field fence to give the Mariners an early 2-0 lead. It was the backstop's first long ball since July 22 and he's now 4-for-17 in six August games with a .205/.294/.380 slash line this season.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 win over the Nationals.

D'Arnaud recorded Atlanta's first hit of the game when he singled in the third inning, and he put the team on the board with his solo blast in the fifth. The 32-year-old has started two of the last three games since being reinstated from the 60-day IL on Wednesday, and he's gone 3-for-8 with a solo homer, a walk and a strikeout during that time.

Haase went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to Cleveland.

Haase continued his strong season, connecting for his 19th home run of the season in the fifth inning. The Detroit catcher had one career MLB home run before this year in limited playing time and had never finished with an OPS above .387. He's currently sporting an .802 OPS and should remain a primary offensive option for the Tigers.

Stassi (forearm) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup Friday against the Astros, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He missed one game after getting hit on the arm by a pitch Wednesday, but it was apparently a minor bruise. Stassi is hitting .277/.351/.508 with four home runs in 18 games since the All-Star break.

Raleigh is not in Friday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

Tom Murphy gets the start behind the dish with lefty Robbie Ray on the hill for Toronto. The Mariners face lefties on Saturday (Hyun Jin Ryu) and Sunday (Steven Matz) as well, so Raleigh could play sparingly, if at all, this weekend.