MLB Player News

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

He'll get a breather for the day game after a night game, affording Garrett Stubbs a turn behind the plate. Realmuto had caught each of the Phillies' last five games and went 6-for-18 with three-extra base knocks and a stolen base.

Nola is on the bench Wednesday versus the Reds, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Brett Sullivan will handle catching duties in place of Nola, who has gone 5-for-31 with a pair of extra-base hits and three RBI in his last 10 games.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Tigers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez had been behind the dish for three of the Mets' last four games, but he'll sit out the first half of the twin bill while Tomas Nido gets a turn to catch starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi. Expect Alvarez to re-enter the lineup for the second game to form a battery with Max Scherzer.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Brewers.

Diaz smacked a Freddy Peralta slider 453 feet to left field in the fourth inning, but his more critical knock came in the eighth, when he singled home Yonathan Daza to break a 2-2 tie. The 32-year-old catcher has a career .692 OPS, but he is slashing .330/.385/.500 to start the season.

Stephenson is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Padres.

Stephenson seems certain to get it going at some point, but he went 0-for-4 in Monday's series opener at San Diego and is batting just .265/.348/.324 with zero home runs through 29 games this season. Curt Casali is catching for the Reds on Tuesday and Henry Ramos is taking a turn in the designated hitter role.

Gomes (head) is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Nationals.

Gomes took a backswing to the head early in Monday's series opener against Washington and was still being evaluated as of Tuesday afternoon. The good news is that he has not yet been placed on the injured list. Tucker Barnhart will catch and bat ninth Tuesday night against the Nats, and the Cubs have brought up Miguel Amaya to provide more depth behind the plate.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Monday's 13-4 rout of the Phillies.

Smith kicked off the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, and he added an RBI single in the fourth. Since returning from a concussion Friday, the backstop has started four straight games, going 4-for-16 with two extra-base hits, four runs and three RBI over that span. Smith's eye at the plate has been extraordinarily keen this season, as he has struck out only five times while working eight walks over 67 plate appearances.

Amaya was recalled Tuesday from Double-A Tennessee, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Amaya will join the Cubs ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nationals after Yan Gomes took a backswing to the helmet Monday. A former top-ranked prospect, Amaya was sporting an impressive 1.070 OPS with four home runs through 13 games this season at the Double-A level. Gomes has yet to be placed on the injured list, so Amaya could be in store for a short stay in the majors.

D'Arnaud ran the bases Monday for the second time since landing on the 7-day injured list April 9, and he remains hopeful to be activated within the next week or so, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. "Yeah, they're wild," d'Arnaud said of concussions. "It's way different [than other injuries]. I've been getting asked the same thing [about when he's coming back]. I say, 'I don't know, I've gotta have no symptoms with anything, and then I can come back.'"

Though d'Arnaud is traveling with Atlanta and has been taking batting practice for more than a week in addition to the running work, as his comments imply, a decision on when he'll be activated isn't up to him. Atlanta isn't putting any official timeline on d'Arnaud's return, which won't happen until doctors determine he's symptom-free and able to compete at full exertion. The concussion that d'Arnaud sustained April 8 during a play at the plate is the fourth diagnosed brain injury of his career, though the first he's suffered since 2014. Once activated, d'Arnaud will be the top understudy to catcher Sean Murphy, though d'Arnaud should see at least a handful of starts per week as a designated hitter or when Murphy requires a day off behind the plate.

Murphy went 4-for-7 with two home runs, a walk, six RBI and three runs across both games of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets.

Murphy started behind the plate and was the offensive star in the matinee, driving in six of Atlanta's nine runs on a pair of three-run homers. In the nightcap, he served as the team's designated hitter and reached base three more times. Murphy's pair of long balls gives him eight on the campaign, tops among big-league backstops. He's already nearly halfway to the career-high 18 homers he drilled last season.