MLB Player News

Smith is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

After starting the past two contests, Smith will head to the bench for Tuesday's game. Austin Barnes will work behind the plate in his absence.

Kirk (hip) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Kirk began a rehab assignment with Buffalo in late June and has gone 11-for-45 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI. With Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen currently handling the big-league catching duties, Kirk will remain in Triple-A for the time being.

Stallings is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Stallings is 5-for-12 with a grand slam in four games since the All-Star break and will head to the bench for the second time in the past three days. Michael Perez will work behind the plate in his place.

Grandal (knee) threw and took some swings Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Manager Tony La Russa said the fact that Grandal is not limping is an encouraging sign, and it suggests he may be slightly ahead of schedule in his recovery from left knee surgery. It's unclear when the catcher will be ready for activation, but all signs have pointed to his returning before the regular season concludes.

Manager Jayce Tingler said Tuesday that Nola (knee) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during the upcoming weekend series against the Marlins, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Tingler didn't provide a specific day for when the backstop could be reinstated, but the update suggests he could be activated as soon as Thursday's series opener. Nola has been out since May 24 with a left knee sprain, and he figures to resume sharing the catching duties with Victor Caratini when he returns.

Perez Is on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Astros.

Perez went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks Monday and is now hitting .241 with three home runs and six RBI in eight games since returning from his finger injury. Austin Hedges will start behind the dish and bat eighth Tuesday.

McGuire will be on the bench Tuesday against the Red Sox.

McGuire may be moving slightly ahead of Danny Jansen on the Blue Jays' catcher depth chart, as he's started three of the first four games of the second half. Jansen gets the nod behind the plate Tuesday, catching Thomas Hatch.

Vazquez (knee) is batting ninth and catching Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

One day off was apparently enough for Vazquez to recover from a banged-up knee. He's been unremarkable offensively since the start of July, hitting .225 with no home runs and just two RBI in 11 games.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

After Mitch Garver (groin) returned from the 10-day injured list with a two-homer game in the second half of Monday's doubleheader, Jeffers' time as Minnesota's No. 1 catcher appears to be over. Even while he benefited from a full-time role for much of the past two months, Jeffers was only providing low-end fantasy value. Jeffers has slashed .207/.305/.446 with six home runs, 15 RBI and nine runs in 28 games since the beginning of June.

Narvaez will sit Tuesday against the Royals.

Narvaez has started just twice against a lefty all season, so it's no surprise to see him on the bench against Mike Minor here. Manny Pina starts behind the plate in his absence.