MLB Player News

Caratini is out of the lineup Friday versus the Brewers.

Caratini started the past five games between catcher and designated hitter, and he'll receive a day off after going 6-for-17 in that stretch. Willson Contreras will start behind the plate while Jason Kipnis serves as the designated hitter Friday.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with two two-run home runs in Thursday's 11-4 loss to the Orioles.

Realmuto gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead with his homer off Thomas Eshelman in the fourth inning and later added another two-run shot off David Hess in the eighth. The stud backstop now has seven home runs and 17 RBI in just 48 at-bats. The catcher is slashing .292/.358/.729 heading into the weekend series against the Mets.

Barnes went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a victory over the Padres on Thursday.

Barnes was part of a homer-happy Dodgers offense in the win, slugging the fourth of six Los Angeles homers in the game. His first long ball of the season was a two-run shot off reliever Luis Perdomo in the fourth inning. Barnes has shown signs of emerging from a season-long slump over his last three games, going 5-for-9 with four RBI over that span.

Nido went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a grand slam in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Nationals.

Nido gave the Mets a 3-1 lead with a two-run long ball off Austin Voth in the fourth inning and broke the game open an inning later with a grand slam against Seth Romero. Nido has only played in five games while serving as Wilson Ramos's backup, but with his big day Thursday, the backstop is now slashing a solid .308/.400/.385 on the campaign.

Plawecki went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Thursday's loss to the Rays.

Plawecki was one the few bright spots for the Red Sox on Thursday, with the majority of his production coming on a two-RBI double in the first inning. He also added an RBI knock in the final frame. Plawecki has worked as Christian Vazquez's backup behind the dish, but is hitting .474/.524/.579 across 21 plate appearances this season.

Smith (neck) isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

Smith exited Wednesday's game with neck soreness, and the issue is severe enough to keep him out of the lineup for the team's series finale against the Padres. Manager Dave Roberts said that he probably won't start Friday either, but he's unlikely to land on the injured list. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish Thursday.

Mejia is not starting Thursday against the Dodgers.

Mejia will head to the bench as Austin Hedges picks up the start at catcher in Thursday's series finale. Across 14 games this season, Mejia is slashing just .097/.176/.226 with one home run.

Perez is projected to start seeing a greater share of the at-bats in his timeshare with fellow backstop Mike Zunino, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Mikey (Perez) has done a good job, he's gotten some big hits for us," manager Kevin Cash said. "We want to keep some level of consistency for both of them.''

Perez's .176/.250/.176 line is almost as poor as Zunino's .088/.225/.206 slash, as the Rays are simply getting minimal offensive production from the catcher position no matter who they turn to. However, Perez has actually delivered four RBI on just three hits, and his solid play behind the plate has earned him two starts in the last three games.

Vazquez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will get a break after working behind the plate and going 1-for-8 with a double between Red Sox losses Tuesday and Wednesday. Kevin Plawecki will fill in as Boston's catcher, working in a battery with rookie Kyle Hart.

Nola went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday.

Nola continues to generate surprising offensive numbers out of the catcher spot for manager Scott Servais, as Wednesday's production brought his season slash to an impressive .292/.346/.563 across 52 plate appearances. Nola now has a quartet of two-hit efforts in his last six games, a stretch during which he's laced six extra-base hits (four doubles, two home runs) and knocked in eight runs.