MLB Player News

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

Barnhart will receive some routine maintenance in the series finale after he had caught each of the Reds' last three games. Tyler Stephenson will replace Barnhart behind the dish Sunday while batting out of the cleanup spot.

Heim went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Mariners.

He got the Rangers on the board with a two-run shot in the fifth inning off Tyler Anderson, then walked it off in the 10th with another two-run blast off Spencer Patton. Heim has gone yard three times in the last two games to boost his homer total on the season to seven, but he's slashing just .189/.211/.459 through 10 games since the All-Star break. Jose Trevino, or eventually Sam Huff, remain threats to his playing time.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Red Sox.

His big blow was a two-run shot off Nathan Eovaldi in the fourth inning. Mejia has two of his five homers on the season in his last six starts, a stretch during which he's batting .364 (8-for-22) with two triples, six runs and nine RBI. Mike Zunino has started five games during that time and gone just 3-for-17 (.176) with a solo shot, and the playing time mix could tip further in Mejia's favor over the final two months if the gap between their respective production remains that wide.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in a 5-3 win over San Diego on Saturday.

Diaz's fifth-inning home run off Yu Darvish gave the Rockies a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It was Diaz's second straight game with a long ball. The backstop is slashing a subpar .212/.283/.414 with 11 home runs in 62 games.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a run as the Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 8-3 on Saturday.

Smith singled in the first, third and seventh, scoring on the final occasion, to post his fourth three-hit game of the campaign. The backstop is now 5-for-13 over his last three games and his .847 OPS ranks fifth among catchers.

Zavala went 4-for-4 with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored Saturday against Cleveland.

That was some kind of performance for a nine-hole hitter making just his 18th career appearance in the big leagues. Zavala hit solo homers in the third and seventh innings, but the big blast was a grand slam in the fourth off Triston McKenzie that busted the game wide open at 6-2. Zavala also singled, matching the four hits he had produced in his first 33 plate appearances all season prior to Saturday. The 27-year-old Zavala came into the day hitting just .171 this year between the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte, making his showing Saturday one of the unlikeliest in recent years.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's win over the White Sox.

Hedges busted out of a 12-game homerless drought when he took Dallas Keuchel deep for a solo blast in the fifth inning. Hedges also drove in a run with a single in the sixth for his first multi-RBI game of the month. The veteran catcher is slashing just .170/.212/.270 with five homers in 173 plate appearances this season.

Jeffers went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Cardinals.

Jeffers blew Saturday's game wide open early with a three-run homer off St. Louis starter Jake Woodford in the third inning. This is the catcher's second consecutive outstanding performance, as he now has three home runs and nine RBI in his last two games. With Mitch Garver back from the paternity list and a hand injury, however, Jeffers could see his playing time reduced.

Narvaez will sit Saturday against Atlanta.

Narvaez will sit against lefty Kyle Muller, which comes as no surprise, as he's started just twice against southpaws all season. Manny Pina will take over behind the plate.

Nola will remain on the bench for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Nola finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row. He's spent much of the season battling injuries and owns a modest .656 OPS in 74 plate appearances when available, though his 10:6 BB:K gives some reason for optimism. Victor Caratini will catch Yu Darvish in his absence.