MLB Player News

Gomes is in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers on Thursday.

After sitting in favor of Kurt Suzuki during the wild-card matchup, Gomes will receive the start for the first game of the NLDS against right-hander Walker Buehler. Suzuki will retreat to the bench for Game 1.

Murphy will start Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against Tampa Bay.

Murphy and Josh Phegley had split time behind the plate down the stretch, alternating starts over the final six games. Murphy gets the nod for the critical one-game series, batting ninth.

Gomes will be on the bench for Tuesday's wild-card matchup with the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The Nationals rode Gomes heavily down the stretch while Kurt Suzuki contended with elbow inflammation for much of September, but the latter will get the nod for the win-or-go-home game now that he's healthy again. Gomes could be in store for a limited role for the duration of the postseason before likely parting ways with the Nationals over the winter. Washington is expected to decline his $9 million club option for 2020.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Sunday in the Brewers' 4-3 loss to the Rockies in 13 innings.

The home run was Grandal's 28th of the season, establishing a new career high in the category. Grandal was pulled from the contest after four innings, but that was presumably only for rest purposes since the Cardinals were well on their way to securing a win over the Cubs, locking up the National League Central crown in the process. The Brewers were still able to clinch a wild-card spot last week, so expect Grandal to check in back behind the plate for Tuesday's win-or-go-home matchup with the Nationals. Grandal shouldered one of the heavier workloads among all catchers down the stretch, starting in each of the Brewers' final nine games.

Campusano has been removed from Peoria's roster in the Arizona Fall League.

Campusano struggled in four games with Peoria, going 1-for-13 with six strikeouts. No reason has been given for the 21-year-old's removal from the roster. Campusano was the co-MVP of the California League this season, hitting .325 with 15 home runs in 109 games with Lake Elsinore.

Thaiss went 3-for-4 with two homers, a double and four RBI in Sunday's loss to Houston.

Thaiss got the Angels on the board with a solo blast to center field in the third inning, slugged a two-run shot in the sixth, and capped the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth. The long balls snapped a 23-game homerless streak while the four runs batted in tied Thaiss's career high. The 24-year-old finishes his first major-league campaign with a .211/.293/.422 slash line, eight homers and 23 RBI in 53 games. He'll prepare for 2020 by working on his skills at third base while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic during the offseason.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in the Dodgers' 9-0 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Smith went on a 12-game homerless streak in the month of September before finally hitting one out last Sunday. One week later and he has his second home run of the month and his 15th of his bright rookie season. The 24-year-old catcher struggled a bit with consistency at the plate for certain stretches of the season but possesses immense power and should play a key role as he gets set for his first-ever appearance in the postseason.

McCann is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the tigers.

McCann worked as Chicago's primary backstop and will finish with 102 starts behind the plate this season since he's sitting Sunday. Zack Collins will catch the season finale for the White Sox.

Perez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

With the Tribe eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the weekend, Perez will close the season with two straight turns on the bench after he had handled one of the larger workloads among all catchers in baseball in 2019. Kevin Plawecki will fill in for Perez behind the dish.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Toronto, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

D'Arnaud will sit for the second straight contest but was coming off eight starts in the previous nine games, so he's likely just receiving a bit of extra rest heading into Wednesday's Wild Card Game. Mike Zunino is starting behind the plate Sunday.