MLB Player News

Diaz went 1-for-3 with a double against the Dodgers on Saturday.

He figures to see the bulk of playing time behind the plate for as long as starter Francisco Cervelli misses time with a concussion. Diaz is hitting .387 in his last 31 at-bats after shaking off a slow start. The catcher hit .286 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 82 games for the Pirates in 2018.

Garver (ankle) caught a bullpen session Saturday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Garver has been hitting in the cage over the last few days and has been running in straight lines, though he has yet to be cleared to run the bases due to the ankle sprain. The 28-year-old appears to be progressing nicely toward his return, though it remains unclear whether he will require a brief rehab assignment.

Nido went 1-for-2 with a walkoff solo home run in the 13th inning against the Tigers on Saturday.

Entering as a pinch hitter in the 11th, Nido flew out in his first at-bat, but he ended the game with a deep fly two frames later. It was only his second home run of the season, but both have come in his last six games. Nido is hitting .194 with three extra-base hits, five RBI and two runs in 31 at-bats this season.

Gomes went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and three RBI in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Marlins.

The catcher's bases-loaded double capped a five-run fourth inning for the Nats, giving Patrick Corbin all the offense he would need as he tossed his second career shutout. Gomes is slashing only .239/.323/.336 on the season, but he appears to be heating up, going 7-for-16 with four walks and five RBI over the course of a five-game hitting streak.

Stassi was removed from Saturday's game against the Red Sox with left knee discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi appeared to pull up after running out a groundball during the fourth inning and apparently tweaked his left knee. The severity of the issue remains unclear, and Robinson Chirinos has taken over behind the plate for the Astros.

Barnhart went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored in Saturday's loss to the Cubs.

Barnhart opened the scoring with a two-run shot off Yu Darvish in the second inning. He later doubled and scored in the sixth. His season numbers remain poor, as he's hitting just .195 with a .644 OPS.

Sanchez will sit for the second half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals.

Sanchez went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts in the afternoon game. Austin Romine will take over behind the plate for the nightcap.

Maldonado will sit for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Maldonado went 0-for-3 at the plate in the afternoon game. He'll unsurprisingly not be asked to catch two games in one day, with Cam Gallagher getting the call in his absence.

Diaz is not starting Saturday against the Dodgers.

Diaz will sit after starting seven of the last eight games. Fellow catcher Francisco Cervelli was healthy for the first four of those games but had been battling a chest contusion for the last three. It's unclear what the playing-time breakdown will be going forward now that both are healthy.

Barnes is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Barnes has gone 7-for-15 at the plate over his last four games, but Russell Martin will get the start behind the plate Saturday.