MLB Player News

Goodman is not in Friday's lineup against the Twins.

Goodman will get the final game of the first half and the first game of the second half off, with his first All-Star appearance sandwiched in between. Austin Nola will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo said Friday that Ruiz (concussion) has started participating in baseball activities, but the Nationals plan to ramp up his workload slowly, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz landed on the 7-day concussion injured list July 8, and Washington is taking a cautious approach with his return to the active roster. Ruiz doesn't have an official target date for his return and should be considered week-to-week as he continues to ramp up his baseball work.

Tromp (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Delmarva on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Tromp resumed baseball activities shortly before the All-Star break, and he's been cleared to see game action. The catcher has been idle since July 1 after sustaining a lower back strain. He could be back with the big club before the end of July.

McCann started taking reps at first base this week, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

McCann was signed to the roster late in June and has played regularly since his arrival. His primary job remains that of catcher, but he's hit well in nine games (1.224 OPS) and could spell Josh Naylor when needed, giving McCann another route to playing time once Gabriel Moreno (finger) is healthy.

Del Castillo had a locker set up for him in Arizona's clubhouse Thursday, signaling a potential call-up, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

No official roster move has been made, but it looks like Del Castillo will join the Diamondbacks as soon as Friday. This will be his second stint in the majors after he debuted last season and posted a slash line of .313/.368/.525 over 25 games. The catcher, who has dealt with back and shoulder injuries this season, has a .945 OPS with four home runs and 19 RBI over 14 games for Triple-A Reno. Del Castillo is expected to serve as the designated hitter against right-handers while Pavin Smith (oblique) is on the mend.

Hernandez signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Now short on minor-league catchers after sending Blake Sabol to the White Sox, Boston will bring in Hernandez to round out Triple-A Worcester's backstop unit. The 27-year-old was released by the Yankees on July 4 after slashing .221/.287/.351 across 87 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and barring a significant turnaround, he doesn't seem on track to make his MLB debut this year.

Amaya (oblique) will likely begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break and is expected to need about a week's worth of games before returning to the Cubs, MLB.com reports.

Amaya has taken batting practice and completed a few bullpen catching sessions in his rehab work so far, but he's yet to see live game action since landing on the injured list with a left oblique injury on May 24. The backstop now appears to be one step closer to returning to the majors, and when he does, he'll compete with Carson Kelly for work behind the plate, though Kelly has played well this year and is likely to remain Chicago's No. 1 catcher for the time being. Amaya compiled a .280/.313/.505 slash line with four home runs and 25 RBI in 27 games before getting injured.

The Orioles outrighted Banuelos to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.

Banuelos was added to the Orioles' 26-man active roster for Sunday's game against the Marlins and struck out in his lone plate appearance. He's now been removed from the 40-man roster and has accepted an outright assignment to Norfolk, where he will provide catching depth.

Garver went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-4 win over Detroit.

The 34-year-old veteran backstop got a rare start at catcher to give All-Star Cal Raleigh a respite behind the plate, launching his fifth homer of the campaign. As long as Raleigh is healthy, Garver is likely to continue seeing sparse playing time, even as a designated hitter. Garver has struggled to find a groove, slashing just .219/.310/.344 with four doubles and 21 RBI across 171 plate appearances.

Hicks went 3-for-4 with one RBI in Sunday's 11-1 win against the Orioles.

The 26-year-old rookie started at first base and notched his second game with three or more hits this season -- the first coming at Philadelphia on April 19. Hicks, who was a Rule 5 pick this past offseason, continues to garner plenty of looks in a strong-side platoon role with the Marlins. He has been a steady source of offense for the club thanks to a .274/.367/.411 slash line with four homers, 30 RBI and 19 runs scored across 198 total plate appearances in 64 games.