MLB Player News

Herrera went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners.

The 25-year-old went back-to-back with JJ Wetherholt in the bottom of the first inning off Bryan Woo, as Herrera extended his hitting streak to eight games. He was also hit by two more pitches, boosting his painful league-leading total to eight. Herrera was back at DH on Saturday after playing his 10th game of the season at catcher Friday, gaining eligibility at the position in most fantasy formats. He could see a bigger workload behind the plate in the short term if Pedro Pages ends up missing significant time after exiting Saturday's loss with hamstring tightness.

Pages was removed from Saturday's game against the Mariners with left hamstring tightness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pages went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk before his hamstring forced him out of the game in the seventh inning. The Cardinals haven't provided any information on the severity of his injury, though they could be waiting for imaging results before sharing those details. Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo would likely split playing time behind the plate if Pages has to miss additional time.

Smith isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Cubs due to a tight back, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts explained that Smith's back is "a little tight" but said he expects the catcher to be back behind the plate Sunday. It doesn't sound like Smith is dealing with anything serious, but fantasy managers who roster the backstop will certainly be relieved if he does indeed miss just one game. Dalton Rushing is starting at catcher for the Dodgers in Smith's stead Saturday.

Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Cubs, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Smith belted a three-run homer Friday, but he'll begin the middle contest of the three-game series on the bench. That will give Dalton Rushing, who is having a big season as Smith's backup, another chance to start. Smith figures to be back in the lineup Sunday for the series finale.

Trevino (back) went 2-for-2 with two runs scored in a rehab game for High-A Dayton on Friday.

As planned, Trevino caught five innings for the Dragons, which sets up the veteran backstop to rejoin the Reds for Sunday's series finale against Detroit. He's expected to return to a backup role behind primary starter Tyler Stephenson.

Hicks went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 9-4 win over the Giants.

Hicks took Adrian Houser deep in the first inning and added a sacrifice fly in the third. Over his last 10 games, Hicks has gone 14-for-39 (.359) with four extra-base hits and 11 RBI. He's batting .317 with an .896 OPS, five homers, 24 RBI, 15 runs scored, three doubles and a stolen base over 92 plate appearances. Hicks has gotten fairly steady playing time between catcher, designated hitter and first base this season, giving him ample value even in one-catcher fantasy formats.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Cubs.

Smith started the scoring with a blast off Jameson Taillon in the third inning. Prior to Friday, Smith had gone 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts over his previous three games. The catcher is batting a solid .266 with a .729 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI, 11 runs scored and no stolen bases over 24 contests this season. The Dodgers have a good problem in trying to balance playing time between Smith and Dalton Rushing, who has been even better at the dish with seven home runs in just 35 plate appearances. That's a battle that Smith is winning for now, though he may get more off days during his slumps if Rushing's bat stays hot as well.

Bailey is not in the Giants' starting lineup against the Marlins on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Eric Haase will start behind home plate and bat ninth while catching pitches from Adrian Houser for Friday's series opener. In 15 games since April 1, Bailey has gone 7-for-45 (.156) with one steal, one home run, three RBI and a 3:8 BB:K.

Sanchez is not in the Brewers' starting lineup against the Pirates on Friday.

Sanchez has been seeing more time as the Brewers' designated hitter in the absence of Christian Yelich (groin), but the former will be idle for the start of Friday's contest while Tyler Black operates as the team's DH and bats in the cleanup spot. Over his last 10 games, Sanchez has gone 8-for-35 (.229) with two home runs and eight RBI.

Ruiz is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

It's been a virtually even split in playing time at catcher between Ruiz and Drew Millas. After Ruiz started each of the previous two contests, it will be Millas behind the dish in Friday's series opener.