MLB Player News

The Astros optioned Stubbs to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Jason Castro (Achilles) cleared to return from the injured list, Stubbs' services were no longer needed as the No. 2 catcher behind Martin Maldonado. During his nearly three-week stay in Houston, Stubbs only appeared in four games, going 3-for-15.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Monday's 3-1 win over the Phillies.

Smith launched a two-run homer off Spencer Howard in the fourth inning, erasing a 1-0 deficit for the Dodgers. It was his second home run in the last three games and his seventh on the season. The 26-year-old has been one of the top fantasy options at catcher this year, slashing .271/.368/.471 with 19 extra-base hits, 22 RBI, 32 runs scored and a stolen base.

Murphy went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Monday's 8-5 win over the Angels. He was also hit by a pitch twice.

Murphy gave Oakland the lead with his two-run shot off Dylan Bundy in the second inning. The 26-year-old catcher was 2-for-20 since his last homer June 4. He's up to 20 extra-base hits, 34 RBI and a .723 OPS through 208 plate appearances.

Hedges isn't starting Monday's game against the Orioles.

Hedges returned to the lineup Sunday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Rene Rivera will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Monday's game against Milwaukee.

Barnhart has started 42 games behind the plate, nearly twice as many as Tyler Stephenson, who makes his 22nd start of the year there Monday. Stephenson has also started 11 times at first base, however, so he could continue cutting into Barnhart's playing time on a more regular basis going forward now that Joey Votto is back from his thumb injury.

Mejia went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Orioles on Sunday.

The backup catcher snapped out of a brief two-game slump with Sunday's multi-hit effort, his first since May 23. Mejia has proven reasonably productive with his opportunities thus far this season, posting a .252/.319/.393 slash line with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBI over 120 plate appearances, figures he's complemented with a modest 17.5 percent strikeout rate, the lowest of his career.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 10-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Stassi launched a two-run homer to give the Angels an early 2-0 lead in the first. It was his fifth home run of the season and his fourth this month. The 30-year-old came into Sunday slashing .448/.484/.897 with seven extra-base hits in June before adding the home run. His overall slash line for the season stands at .339/.397/.645 with five home runs, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored. Stassi's high production at the moment likely isn't sustainable but he should be rostered mostly everywhere given the lack of depth at the catcher position.

Jackson (hamstring) hasn't appeared in a rehab game for Triple-A Gwinnett since Wednesday due to an injury to his pinkie finger, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta doesn't seem overly concerned about the finger injury, but Jackson's rehab assignment will be on pause for a bit until he feels more comfortable throwing the ball and swinging a bat. Jackson has been on the shelf since May 2 with a strained left hamstring, but that injury doesn't seem to be a major concern at this juncture. Whenever he's cleared to return from the 10-day injured list, Jackson could overtake Kevan Smith as Atlanta's No. 2 catcher behind William Contreras.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run and one strikeout in Sunday's 7-0 win over the Yankees.

Realmuto didn't have any extra-base hits Sunday, but he drove in runs with a pair of singles in the first and fifth innings. The 30-year-old has gone 8-for-24 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs and four walks across the last seven games.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith drew starts behind the plate both of the past two nights, so he'll be getting a routine breather for a day game Sunday. Austin Barnes will step into the starting nine and catch for pitcher Walker Buehler in the series finale.