MLB Player News

Barnes went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and two RBI in a victory over San Francisco on Thursday.

Barnes' blast -- a two-run shot to left field -- was part of a five-run fourth inning that chased starter Madison Bumgarner. It was his first home run since May 3 and fifth overall this season. Prior to Thursday, Barnes had struggled mightily in June, hitting a microscopic .087 (2-for-23) with no extra-base hits. Perhaps Thursday's performance will be a catalyst to better production.

Garver was removed from Thursday's game against the Royals due to left heel soreness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver will be considered day-to-day after exiting Thursday's contest. Jason Castro or Willians Astudillo would be in line to draw the start behind the dish Friday if Garver is unable to go.

Jansen is not in Thursday's lineup against the Angels.

He has zero hits in his last 13 at-bats (four games). Luke Maile will start behind the dish and hit ninth.

Gomes is not in the lineup Thursday against the Phillies.

Gomes is slashing just .161/.235/.194 through nine games this month, so he'll sit for the second time in three games as Kurt Suzuki picks up another start behind the dish in his stead.

Perez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Perez will hang out in the dugout for the matinee affair after starting each of the past four days and recording four hits (including two solo home runs) in 17 at-bats. Backup catcher Kevin Plawecki will replace Perez behind the dish.

Stubbs went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's loss to the Reds.

Stubbs made just his third start in the last 10 games and sixth overall. The catching prospect's first exposure to MLB was not expected to last long, and it may be coming to a close as early as this weekend after the injured Max Stassi (knee) caught nine innings on consecutive days Tuesday and Wednesday. Stubbs is 4-for-25 (.160) in eight games (six starts) since being called up in late May.

Stassi (knee) played a second straight day while on rehab at Double-A Corpus Christi on Wednesday, signaling an imminent return to the roster, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi caught all nine innings in each game and could be activated as early as this weekend. His return would spell the end of Garrett Stubbs' first exposure to the major leagues.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Cubs.

McCann took Jon Lester deep in the fourth inning to record his seventh homer of the season. Prior to a home run Saturday against the Yankees, McCann had gone 27 games without a long ball, but he now has three in his last four contests. Though prospect Zack Collins was called up Tuesday, McCann is likely to keep the majority of the work behind the dish in the immediate future due to Collins' deficiencies defensively. McCann is now hitting .330/.385/.52 across 195 plate appearances for the season.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a grand slam and a walk in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the White Sox.

The first inning grand slam by Contreras set the tone for the game and ended up being the difference between the two crosstown rivals. The 27-year-old catcher added a solo shot in the third inning for good measure, giving him his first multi-homer game since April 12. Contreras has had a nice resurgence in 2019 with 15 home runs, 42 RBI and a .954 OPS.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored overall in Wednesday's 12-1 win over the Rays.

Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the first inning to help chase Rays starter Blake Snell, and he also added an RBI double in the seventh. The 26-year-old is slashing .266/.336/.532 with 21 home runs in 54 games this season.