MLB Player News

Gomes (oblique) took swings in the batting cage Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes took about 40 swings during his hitting session Friday, and he felt good afterward. He should continue to get work in the cage for a few more days, and the Nationals hope to get the 34-year-old back on the field shortly after. It's not yet clear when Gomes will be able to return to game action, but he's expected to require a rehab assignment before he's cleared to rejoin the big-league roster.

Wallach was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

Wallach appeared in 22 games with the major-league club earlier in the year then spent nearly two months at Jacksonville prior to Friday's call-up. He hit .204 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and 11 runs across 31 minor-league contests, and he'll serve as catching depth.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Friday against the Rangers, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado started the past four games and will receive a day to rest Friday. Jason Castro will catch for Jake Odorizzi and bat eighth.

Sanchez (general soreness) is starting behind the plate and batting cleanup Friday at Boston.

Sanchez sat out Thursday's contest after getting "dinged up" Wednesday, but he's good to go for Friday's series opener. The 28-year-old is 4-for-16 with two solo homers, a walk and an additional run scored in five games since the All-Star break.

Perez is out of the lineup Friday against Tampa Bay.

Perez is 2-for-15 since the All-Star break and finds himself on the bench for the second straight contest. Austin Hedges will work behind the plate again Friday for Cleveland.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson had alternated starts behind the plate for the last eight games, but it's now Stephenson who will get the nod for the second game in a row. Stephenson's .774 OPS makes a great case for more playing time, though Barnhart's .754 mark isn't far behind, so a fairly even split should be expected down the stretch unless something changes.

Murphy went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in a win over the Mariners on Thursday.

Murphy extended the Athletics' lead to 2-0 with his sixth-inning two-bagger, snapping a brief 0-for-11 skid in the process. The struggling backstop owns just a .217 batting average and .303 OBP, but he's cobbled together a respectable .416 SLG thanks to exactly half of his 58 hits going for extra bases (17 doubles, 12 home runs), which has led to a solid 45 RBI.

Stassi is out of the lineup Friday against the Twins, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi started the last two games and will receive the day off Friday. Kurt Suzuki will catch for Alex Cobb and bat fifth in his absence.

Nola will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Marlins.

Nola returned from a knee injury Thursday but won't be asked to start two games in a row right away. Victor Caratini will catch Joe Musgrove in his absence.

Murphy went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Thursday.

Murphy's 394-foot shot to left field in the seventh inning resulted in the only run for the Mariners on a night when the Athletics' Sean Manaea rang up a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings. The veteran backstop owns an abysmal .197/.281/.376 slash line for the season, but at least 15 of his 37 hits have gone for extra bases (seven doubles, eight home runs).