MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

The newly minted All-Star will get a breather Wednesday while Austin Barnes receives a turn behind the dish. Smith was one of the few bright spots for the Dodgers in Tuesday's 10-1 loss in the series opener, going 2-for-4 with a walk in the blowout.

Wells is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Wells will hit the bench after he started behind the dish in three of the Yankees' last four games. Jose Trevino will get the nod at catcher Wednesday, forming a battery with starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Though he's on the bench Wednesday, Higashioka looks to have moved ahead of both Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan in the pecking order at catcher. Higashioka had already been seeing the majority of the starts behind the plate over Sullivan while Campusano was on the injured list, but since being activated Friday, Campusano has cracked the lineup just once in five games. Meanwhile, Higashioka has continued to rake at the plate to make a case for the lion's share of the playing time at catcher. Dating back to June 22, Higashioka has slashed .342/.375/.842 with six home runs, 17 RBI and eight runs over a stretch of 11 games.

Campusano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Since being activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Campusano has started in just one of the Friars' ensuing five games. He appears to have slid behind Kyle Higashioka on the depth chart at catcher, though both backstops will be out of the lineup Wednesday while No. 3 option Brett Sullivan gets the nod behind the dish.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Though Kelly has an active five-game hitting streak, the playing time behind the plate has tilted in favor of Jake Rogers lately. Rogers will make his third start in four games while Kelly sits.

Lee is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Twins.

Martin Maldonado will handle catching duties for the second game of the day after Lee was behind the plate for the White Sox's 3-1 win in Game 1. Lee went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the victory.

Nido is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Nido had started behind the plate in four of the past five games, but he'll cede catching duties to Miguel Amaya on Wednesday. Since signing with the Cubs on June 19, Nido has put together a .133/.156/.200 slash line with a 31.3 percent strikeout rate, so his hold on the No. 1 catcher's role may be tenuous.

Triple-A Norfolk reinstated Hunt (groin) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Hunt was on the shelf for a little over three weeks with a left groin strain. Norfolk brought Hunt back from the IL after he went 3-for-12 with two doubles, one walk, two runs and one RBI over four rehab games with High-A Aberdeen last week.

Caratini (hip) took part in drills Tuesday but still isn't running at full speed, MLB.com reports.

Caratini has been ramping up his activity for the last week, but he won't be sent out on a rehab assignment until he is running at 100 percent. He'll be out through the All-Star break, but his timeline for a return beyond that is unclear.

Jeffers is absent from the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the White Sox.

Christian Vazquez will start at catcher in the first game of the day, with Jeffers set to return to the lineup for the second contest. Jeffers comes into play Wednesday having slugged two home runs and driven in nine runs over his last eight tilts.