MLB Player News

Barnhart will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Barnhart is having a good season at the plate, as his .762 OPS represents a career high. Fellow backstop Tyler Stephenson owns an even better .807 OPS, however, so the Reds will likely continue to give Barnhart fairly frequent rest in the second half. Stephenson will catch Luis Castillo on Saturday.

Perez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics.

He's gone 6-for-23 in six games since returning from the injured list, with three of those hits being home runs. Perez has driven in six runs in that span. Austin Hedges will take over behind the dish.

McGuire is not starting Saturday's game against the Rangers.

McGuire went 1-for-4 and scored a run Friday. The 26-year-old is hitting a lowly .095 against left-handed pitching this season, so he understandably gets a day off against southpaw Kolby Allard. Danny Jansen starts behind the dish and bats ninth Saturday.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Mariners.

Stassi went deep off Chris Flexen in the second inning to tie the game. He was the only Angel to score off Flexen. Since June, when Stassi took over as the primary catcher, he has slashed .322/.402/.578 with six homers, 16 RBI and 22 runs in 102 plate appearances. The 30-year-old trailed just Yasmani Grandal among all catchers in runs scored (17) in June while batting .303.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, four RBI and a run Friday in the Dodgers' 10-4 win over the Rockies.

The four RBI established a new season high for Smith, who had driven in four runs combined over his final nine games prior to the All-Star break. Smith hit out of the cleanup spot Friday, and his presence in the heart of a loaded Los Angeles lineup should continue to make him one of the most valuable fantasy catchers during the second half.

Nola (knee) served as a designated hitter for Triple-A El Paso on Friday and went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Nola has played in seven of the past eight days for El Paso, going 6-for-18 with a 2:4 BB:K thus far during his rehab assignment. He notably caught five innings Thursday, and the Padres could bring him back from the 10-day injured list once he catches a full nine-inning game for El Paso. Victor Caratini will continue to serve as the Padres' top backstop until Nola is reinstated.

Jeffers (knee) is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers.

A left knee contusion forced the 24-year-old's exit from Sunday's contest against Detroit. It's unclear whether Jeffers is still dealing with the knee injury, or if he's just scheduled to catch the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Ben Rortvedt is batting eight and catching the afternoon game.

Haase is starting in left field and batting third in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins.

The Tigers continue to prefer Jake Rogers as the primary catcher, but Haase is still working his way into the lineup on a regular basis. It helps that he's supplied 13 home runs through 44 games so far. The team designated Nomar Mazara for assignment coming out of the break, so there should be even more playing time available in the outfield for Haase, and he'll also work in behind the plate when Rogers needs a break.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in a 5-4 loss to Oakland on Friday.

Perez got Cleveland on the board with his fifth-inning solo shot off Oakland starter Sean Manaea but failed to do anything productive in his other three at-bats. The backstop has now gone deep in each of his last three games and is slashing an improved .261/.261/.696 in six July games.

Gomes (oblique) doesn't have a timetable for his return, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Gomes has been on the 10-day injured list since Saturday due to a left oblique strain, but he apparently wasn't able to participate in many activities across the last week. It appears likely that the 33-year-old will need to spend more than the minimum of 10 days on the injured list, and a better idea of his status could be revealed once he ramps up his workload.