MLB Player News

Barrera was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Barrera will join the big league roster ahead of Friday's series opener versus the Marlins. He'll be set to make his season debut for the Nationals after he has posted a .256 batting average with seven homers, 24 RBI and 25 runs over 164 at-bats in 51 games with Rochester this year. Riley Adams was sent down to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Realmuto is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Realmuto will get a day off after he went 3-for-11 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base in a three game series against Atlanta. Garrett Stubbs will start at catcher and bat seventh in Friday's series opener.

Perez went 4-for-4 with three homers and five RBI in an 8-7 win Thursday over Milwaukee.

Perez homered in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings in what is clearly his best offensive performance as a big-leaguer. He had never before had a multi-homer game let alone a three-homer outing. The catcher entered the game with a .129/.178/.235 line and three homers and six RBI in 91 plate appearances and nearly doubled his season total in both homers and RBI.

Stephenson (thumb) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville in the coming days, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson took part in batting practice Wednesday and is close to returning to game action with the minor-league club. The 25-year-old has been on the injured list since June 9 due to a fractured right thumb and will likely require several rehab games before rejoining the Reds, but he seems to be trending toward a return sometime in early July.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-4 win against Colorado.

Smith swatted one of three Dodgers long balls in the contest, smashing a 429-foot, two-run shot in the fifth inning. The long ball was his 12th of the campaign, moving him into second place in that category among big-league catchers. Smith has enjoyed a strong June, slashing .304/.350/.587 with seven homers, 14 RBI and 10 runs over 23 games.

Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base Wednesday against the Pirates.

Ruiz delivered separate run-scoring singles in the first and fifth frames. He also swiped his fourth base of the season, which is particularly notable given that he had no steals at any professional level since 2016 entering the current campaign. Ruiz is striking out at just a 9.7 percent clip for the season, though he has an unimpressive .093 ISO paired with a .255 batting average across 238 plate appearances.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a two-run home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Reds.

Contreras was electric in this one, and he now has three straight multi-hit games. It was the backstop's third three-hit effort in June, pushing his batting average this month to .295. He also has five home runs and 16 RBI across 25 games in June. Contreras has been a fantasy bright spot in Chicago and is certainly enhancing his trade value before the deadline next month.

Stephenson (thumb) participated in batting practice on the field at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Manager David Bell recently said he hopes Stephenson will begin a rehab assignment within the next week, and the catcher's participating at batting practice Wednesday is an encouraging sign for his outlook. The 25-year-old will likely need to advance to facing live pitching before being cleared for game action in the minors.

Gomes isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Colorado.

Gomes started in the last six games but hit just .185 with a run and a strikeout. Willson Contreras is starting behind the plate while Rafael Ortega takes over in left field.

Herrera isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Herrera started in the last three games and went 2-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. Andrew Knizner is taking over behind the dish and batting ninth Wednesday.