MLB Player News

Smith (oblique) has been activated from the 7-day injured list, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old backstop rejoined Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, going 1-for-1 with an RBI. Manager Dave Roberts said he wants to give Smith regular at-bats he might not see with the big club, which could keep him in Triple-A for the moment. However, he's been tearing up the Pacific Coast League and has fared well in his brief stints at the big-league level this season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get called back up at some point.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with a walkoff home run, two RBI and two runs in a 4-3 victory over the Yankees on Saturday.

The catcher's power surge continued Saturday, as he now has six homers in 153 plate appearances this season. D'Arnaud started the year 2-for-24, but since joining the Rays he's batting .254 with 11 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and 18 runs in 114 at-bats.

Perez went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer in a 7-2 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Perez's home run in the eighth inning provided the Indians with a 4-2 lead, and they tacked on a few insurance runs in the following frame for good measure. The 30-year-old went into Wednesday's game in 4-for-24 slump with 13 strikeouts, but he has six hits -- including two homers and a triple -- in his last two contests.

Barnes is not starting Saturday against San Diego.

Barnes has a hit in each of his last three games, following a stretch in which he went hitless for eight straight. Russell Martin takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Gomes is not in the lineup Saturday against the Royals.

Gomes and Kurt Suzuki have settled into a fairly even split behind the plate in Washington, with Suzuki starting nine of the last 16 games. Suzuki's .270/.314/.503 slash line easily outpaces Gomes' .209/.303/.302, so it's hard to see Gomes' role increasing in the near future.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, three runs scored and a walk in Friday's 15-6 win over the Rangers.

Garver notched back-to-back multi-hit games by leading off the second inning with a double before launching a solo home run to right-center in the seventh in what was an offensive onslaught from the league's top offense. As one of four Twins to reach base three times in the contest, the 28-year-old now has two home runs, seven hits, seven RBI and six runs scored in his past five games. Since returning from a heel injury in late June, the catcher's main competition for playing time has been teammate Jason Castro, the left-handed bat who steals starts against right-handed pitching. Garver owns an impressive 1.230 OPS against left-handed pitching this season and also has been slashing .359/.405/.718 on the road. Despite the occasional rest, Garver is still producing top-tier fantasy value at the catcher position, featuring a .291 batting average with 13 home runs, 35 RBI and 33 runs scored.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Athletics.

The catcher is up to nine homers and 19 RBI in 35 games this season. Murphy has a .269/.296/.538 line over 119 at-bats. The two-hit effort snapped a 3-for-26 skid over his previous seven games.

Narvaez is not in the lineup Friday against Oakland, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Narvaez has gone 4-for-23 at the plate over his last seven games since his nine-game hitting streak ended. Tom Murphy gets the call behind the plate in his absence.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.

Sanchez started the last nine games but went 5-for-39, so he'll take the day off Friday. Austin Romine will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Yankees.

Smith (oblique) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, retroactive to June 26, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

With an OPS north of 1.000 with Oklahoma City and three homers in his small MLB sample (29 plate appearances), Smith has surpassed fellow Dodgers catching prospect Keibert Ruiz in the minds of many evaluators, and some even felt he would be an upgrade over Austin Barnes as the starter in Los Angeles. However, Smith's stellar season has been interrupted by a strained right oblique muscle and there is currently no timetable for his return.