MLB Player News

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Philadelphia.

McCann, who had struck out twice against Phillies starter Andrew Painter, homered on the first pitch of the eighth inning off reliever Jonathan Bowlan. He reached low for a sweeper down in the zone for his fifth home run of the season. As the backup catcher, McCann gets a couple of starts per week, but as the Diamondbacks battle for a postseason berth, manager Torey Lovullo may be tempted to get starting catcher Gabriel Moreno's bat in the lineup as much as possible. That could result in Moreno slotting in at DH and McCann working behind the dish.

Bernal went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-6, extra-inning win over the Dodgers.

After a 1-for-5 debut Tuesday, Bernal delivered his first big-league homer in his second game. The 22-year-old got the start at designated hitter Wednesday, but he's expected to see a decent share of playing time at catcher over the remainder of the campaign, though the Cardinals also have Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages capable of playing behind the dish. Bernal hit .278 with an .831 OPS at Triple-A Memphis this year prior to his promotion.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Smith went 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored Tuesday during his first game back from the injured list, and he'll retreat to the bench Wednesday as the Dodgers look to ease him back into action. Hunter Feduccia will fill in behind the plate and bat ninth.

Ruiz passed concussion protocol following his removal from Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.

Ruiz was pulled from the game after taking a foul tip off his mask in the fourth inning. Although he managed to avoid suffering a concussion this time around, the 28-year-old backstop's history of concussions/head injuries could cause the Nationals to err on the side of caution and sit him down for another game or two. Harry Ford would benefit from extra playing time during any games Ruiz may have to miss.

Kelly is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Brewers.

Kelly started at catcher in the first two games of the series, so he will get a break during Wednesday's tilt. Miguel Amaya will be behind the dish and will bat ninth for the Cubs.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Tampa Bay.

Alvarez was behind the dish for the first two games of the series, but he'll take a seat in the finale. Luis Torrens is doing the catching and batting ninth in the rubber match.

Ruiz was lifted from Wednesday's game against Atlanta in the fourth inning after taking a foul tip to the mask, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Ruiz has a history of concussions, so this is a worrisome development. The Nationals should have more on his status after the game. Ruiz flew out in his lone plate appearance Wednesday before exiting. He was replaced by Harry Ford, who would stand to benefit if Ruiz needs to miss additional time.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis.

Smith returned Tuesday from a nearly three-month stay on the injured due to a neck injury. The All-Star catcher started behind the plate and batted fifth in the Dodgers' order. Smith flied out in each of his first three plate appearances before roping a two-run double to left field in the seventh inning. He'll have about four weeks to shake any rust ahead of the postseason and should return to a regular role as Los Angeles' top backstop, with Hunter Feduccia serving as his primary backup.

The Pirates signed Herrera to a minor-league contract Tuesday.

Herrera will supplement the Pirates' organizational catching depth in the final month. He had been at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization, where he put up a .665 OPS in 40 contests.

Salas will start at catcher and bat sixth in his major-league debut Wednesday in Cincinnati.

Salas was among the Padres' September call-ups Tuesday and is set for his first start in the big leagues during Wednesday's series finale. The 20-year-old catcher has slashed .296/.374/.448 with 10 home runs, 17 stolen bases and a 47:58 BB:K over 96 games between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso this season. Salas is likely to see the bulk of the starts at catcher down the stretch for the Padres.