MLB Player News

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in Game 3 of the World Series against the Rays on Friday.

Barnes drove in his first run in the fourth inning on a safety squeeze, laying down an effective bunt along the first-base line. He followed that up with a solo home run in his next at-bat, putting the Dodgers up 6-1. It was Barnes' first home run of the postseason, though he's managed a strong .350/.381/.500 line across 22 plate appearances overall.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Wednesday in a loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series.

The 25-year-old swatted a solo homer in the sixth inning off Nick Anderson. The impressive catcher slashed .289/.401/.579 during the regular season while recording an impressive 164 OPS+.

Campusano was charged with felony marijuana possession in his home state of Georgia on Saturday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Campusano was pulled over in the early morning and found with 79 grams (2.8 ounces) of marijuana in his car. Georgia law dictates that possession of more than one ounce of marijuana is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. What exactly will happen with Campusano, and how exactly his baseball career will be affected, remains to be seen.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves on Friday.

Smith provided the turning point of the contest, launching the homer in the sixth inning to put the Dodgers up 4-2. From there, the team never relinquished the lead to force Game 6 on Saturday. It was Smith's first career postseason home run, and one of the few bright spots for him this October. In 41 plate appearances, Smith has hit just .216/.293/.378, though he has managed to drive in nine runs.

Smith isn't starting Game 4 of the NLCS against Atlanta on Thursday.

Smith had a double with two RBI and three strikeouts in Wednesday's blowout win, and he'll get a breather for Game 4. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate Thursday.

Stassi recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.

The 29-year-old had a strong 2020 campaign with a .278/.352/533 slash line and seven homers in 31 games, and it wasn't known he was dealing with the injury until undergoing an MRI at the close of the season. The typical return game is 4-to-6 months, so if his recovery timeline goes on the long end of that spectrum, he may not be ready for the start of the 2021 season.

Maldonado is "banged up" according to manager Dusty Baker but could still appear off the bench Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado will sit in favor of Dustin Garneau on Tuesday for the first time this postseason, though his absence was apparently a coach's decision and not related to his minor injuries. Expect him back as soon as Game 4 on Wednesday if not before.

Maldonado is not starting Game 3 of the ALCS against the Rays on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado has started every playoff game thus far for the Astros this season, hitting just .154/.214/.308. Dustin Garneau will catch Jose Urquidy in his absence.

Barrera (suspension) was reinstated from the restricted list Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Barrera was originally hit with an 80-game ban after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, but he evidently had his suspension reduced to just 60 games. He could potentially push for playing time as a backup catcher next season, though he's played in just two big-league games and none at the Triple-A level.

Smith went 5-for-6 with a run and three RBI in Thursday's NLDS Game 3 win over the Padres.

Smith was trouble for Padres pitchers throughout the game, finishing with three singles and a pair of doubles. He drove in one run with a single in the top of the fourth and added two more RBI on a double in the top of the ninth. He's now hitting .294/.429/.412 through five postseason games, a huge step up from his struggles in his first taste of playoff action last year, when he grabbed just a single hit in four games.