MLB Player News

Bart (groin) isn't starting Wednesday against the Cardinals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wednesday marks the second start Bart has missed due to his right groin tightness, but signs point to him rejoining the lineup relatively soon. Blake Sabol will continue to fill in behind the dish in Bart's absence.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (concussion) won't be activated from the 7-day injured list until at least Saturday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

The Dodgers had previously considered activating Smith for Friday's series opener versus the Cardinals, but the 28-year-old backstop looks like he'll get at least a few more days to recover from the concussion before returning to action. The worst of the brain injury appears to be behind Smith at this point; he said he hasn't been experiencing any headaches since last Friday, and he's been able to do agility work, take batting practice and catch bullpen sessions within the past few days. He'll get some more live at-bats when the Dodgers return to Los Angeles on Friday, and if all goes well, Smith should be back in the lineup before the weekend comes to a close.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes will hit the bench after starting three of the past four games behind the dish while going 2-for-10 at the dish during that stretch. Though Fortes brings more offensive upside to the table than Jacob Stallings, the latter catcher's defensive prowess has made him the Marlins' No.1 backstop since he joined the organization ahead of the 2022 season. Expect the playing time between the two catchers to tilt in Stallings' favor as a result, despite Fortes' recent uptick in starts.

Hedges is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Jason Delay will catch and bat ninth. Hedges has slashed just .188/.257/.219 through 38 plate appearances this season and could begin losing his hold on the bulk of starts behind the plate in Pittsburgh.

Caratini went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over the Tigers.

After striking out in his first at-bat, Caratini smoked a two-run blast in the third to give Milwaukee a 5-0 lead, marking his first long ball of the season. He added a single his next time up, giving him two multi-hit games this year. Caratini continues to operate as the backup behind William Contreras and has appeared in only nine of the Brewers' first 25 games, but he's put up solid offensive numbers in his limited action.

Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Wednesday.

This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for Cody Bolton, who is joining the Pirates' bullpen ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. A journeyman catcher, Heineman heads into DFA limbo with a career .210/.276/.269 major-league batting line.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Padres.

Yan Gomes will catch and bat eighth with right-hander Michael Wacha on the mound for San Diego. It's the third straight start behind the plate for Gomes, though the previous two starts were versus lefties. He has greatly outperformed Barnhart offensively and may be capturing a larger share of the catcher platoon in Chicago.

Smith (concussion) said Wednesday he's unsure if he'll be able to return from the 7-day injured list for Friday's game against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Though Smith traveled with the Dodgers to Pittsburgh and has been working out for the past few days, manager Dave Roberts has already ruled out the catcher from playing during the three-game series with the Pirates. Smith mentioned that the headaches he's been experiencing have been gone since Friday, but the Dodgers are still planning on being extra cautious with him before activating him. Even if Smith isn't back by Friday, the 28-year-old should be back behind the plate for Los Angeles in the coming days.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

After starting behind the dish in each of the Dodgers' last three games, Barnes will get a breather Wednesday while Austin Wynns receives a turn behind the plate. Barnes should be back in the lineup for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh, but he'll likely revert to the No. 2 catcher's role by the weekend, when Will Smith (concussion) should be ready to return from the 7-day injured list.

Smith (concussion) threw to bases and took live batting practice Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With his concussion symptoms abated, Smith has been ramping up workouts in his bid to return to the Dodgers' lineup. Assuming he gets through Wednesday's workout with no issues and bounces back fine, he could be back in action for this weekend's home series versus the Cardinals.