MLB Player News

Barnhart (oblique) is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Louisville.

Sidelined for more than a month with a strained right oblique, Barnhart will get the green light for the final phase of the recovery process after taking batting practice and catching the last few days without any renewed discomfort. Because of the time he's missed, Barnhart may need to catch a full game or two for Louisville before the Reds reinstate him from the 10-day injured list. Once he's back with the big club, Barnhart should take over as the Reds' clear top catcher with Curt Casali (knee) and Kyle Farmer (concussion) both stuck on the IL and seemingly further behind in their respective rehab programs.

The Twins promoted Jeffers from High-A Fort Myers to Double-A Pensacola on Thursday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Jeffers and pitching prospect Jhoan Duran will make the jump to the Southern League together after neither had much left to prove at Pensacola. The 22-year-old turned in a .256/.330/.402 slash line (120 wRC+) across 315 plate appearances at Fort Myers, with that production rendered more meaningful by the fact that he's a catching product. While not a top-shelf defender, Jeffers' quality arm and respectable receiving skills should allow him to stick behind the plate as he moves through the system.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and an additional run Wednesday in the Cardinals' 14-8 win over the Pirates.

Knizner connected on his first career home run during the Cardinals' big nine-run second inning, which proved to be the difference in the high-scoring contest. The rookie has been working as the No. 2 catcher behind Matt Wieters lately, but Knizner will likely be optioned to Triple-A Memphis when Yadier Molina (thumb) likely returns from the 10-day injured list at some point in August.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

With the Pirates facing a quick turnaround for the series finale with St. Louis, Diaz will just be getting a routine breather for the final game of the homestand. Jacob Stallings will serve as the Pirates' catcher Thursday, working in a battery with Joe Musgrove.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Hedges will give way to Francisco Mejia in the series finale after manning the catcher spot in Wednesday's 7-2 win and going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The Padres seemed to be running more of a timeshare behind the dish coming out of the All-Star break, but Mejia appears to have since recaptured primary catching duties. Mejia will pick up his third start in four games while Hedges sits.

Gomes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Rockies.

Gomes took Jake McGee deep in the seven inning to record his fourth home run of the season. It marked his first homer since June 21 and just his fourth multi-hit game since May 1. His line for the campaign remains a poor .212/.306/.311 across 219 plate appearances.

Sanchez is dealing with a Grade 1 (minor) groin strain, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Fortunately it is not a serious strain, but manager Aaron Boone still didn't want to offer up a timetable for Sanchez's return. He is eligible to return on Aug. 3. Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka will split the catching duties in the short term.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

His fourth-inning shot opened the scoring and proved to be all the offense Vince Velasquez and the Phillies bullpen would need on the afternoon. Realmuto is now slashing .267/.318/.434 on the year with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games.

Perez is not in the lineup Wednesday against Toronto.

Perez has carried a heavy load this season, with his 70 games started behind the plate tying him for fifth in the league. Kevin Plawecki gets the start Wednesday.

Mejia is not starting Wednesday against the Mets.

Mejia has started seven out of 11 games since the All-Star break, posting an .873 OPS over that stretch. Austin Hedges gets the start behind the plate in his absence.