MLB Player News

Smith isn't starting Friday against the Mets, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith will get a breather after going 1-for-10 with a double, a run, a walk and three strikeouts across the last three games. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Murphy is not starting Friday against the Giants, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy has yielded catching duties against left-handers to Yan Gomes since Gomes was acquired at the trade deadline, and that will remain the case Friday against Alex Wood.

Stassi will be on the bench for Friday's game in Cleveland.

Stassi hits the bench after making a pair of starts. He's been in a bit of a slump over his last nine games, going 4-for-32 with 17 strikeouts. Kurt Suzuki takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Perez exited Friday's win over the Cubs due to posterior neck soreness, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City reports.

Perez was productive early in Friday's matchup, as he went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs. However, he was replaced by a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. The catcher was apparently evaluated for a concussion after the game but was ultimately diagnosed with a neck injury. The 31-year-old should be considered day-to-day, but Cam Gallagher would likely take over behind the dish if Perez is forced to miss additional time.

Narvaez is not in the lineup Friday against the Nationals.

Narvaez was also on the bench for Thursday's series finale in St. Louis, though he entered during the sixth inning and caught the final three frames of that contest. Manny Pina will receive another look behind the plate for the Brewers.

Hedges is not in the lineup Friday against the Angels.

Hedges leads Cleveland's catchers with 61 starts this season and should continue to see regular time with Roberto Perez (shoulder) sidelined, but he doesn't provide any fantasy value with a .485 OPS. Wilson Ramos will work behind the plate Friday in the series opener.

McGuire is not starting Friday against the TIgers.

McGuire will take a seat to begin the series in Toronto after starting three of the previous four games behind the plate. Alejandro Kirk will catch Robbie Ray and bat sixth.

Stubbs suffered a right ankle sprain during Thursday's game with Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It remains to be seen if the ankle injury will end up sending Stubbs to the injured list, but he seems likely to miss at least a game or two. He's spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A, but he has logged eight games with the Astros, recording four hits across 22 at-bats.

D'Arnaud signed a two-year, $16 million extension with Atlanta on Friday.

The deal keeps the catcher in Cobb County through the end of the 2023 season, with the club also getting an $8 million team option to keep him around for an additional year. D'Arnaud has shown some of the best form of his career during his time with Atlanta, hitting .284/.345/.470 with 12 homers and 49 RBI in 72 games with the team, though almost all of his success came last year. He's produced a 71 wRC+ this year while spending the majority of the season on the injured list after undergoing thumb surgery, but the organization evidently believes he has at least two more years of good performances in his bat despite his recent struggles.

Stassi went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI during Thursday's win over the Tigers.

With the Angels trailing in the eighth, Stassi cranked a go-ahead two-run homer against Michael Fulmer. The long ball was the 11th of the season for the backstop, who was riding a 2-for-30 drought prior to Thursday's contest.