MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Thursday in a 10-5 victory versus Cincinnati.

Smith hit one of five Dodgers homers in the contest, going deep to left field in the seventh inning. The long ball was the 10th of the season for Smith, which is tied for third among big-league catchers. Smith is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, during which he is slashing .409/.417/.727 with two homers, four RBI and three runs.

Heineman went 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Cubs on Thursday.

Heineman started for the second time in Pittsburgh's last five games and appears to be in a timeshare with Michael Perez. Heineman collected multiple hits in a start for the third time this season, highlighted by an RBI single in the sixth frame. Despite the decent performance, he's hitting a dreadful .184/.244/.237 across 84 plate appearances on the season, although that's still a small step up from Perez's .127/.184/.254 line.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Padres.

Realmuto hit the second of the Phillies two sixth-inning blasts off Padres starter Joe Musgrove. The homer was Realmuto's first extra-base hit since June 12 and his first long ball since May 26 as he's struggled to generate much power lately. The catcher is slashing .240/.318/.358 with four homers, 27 RBI, 33 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 11 doubles and two triples through 258 plate appearances.

McCann (wrist) is traveling to Miami and is expected to be activated from the injured list Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McCann has been on a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton since June 16 and collected six hits in 21 at-bats. He should return to his role as the Mets' primary catcher, though he was hitting just .196/.266/.286 across 64 plate appearances prior to going down.

Smith went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Wednesday's 8-4 win against Cincinnati.

Smith started behind the plate and slotted into the third spot in the batting order. He produced the Dodgers' first run with a single in the third inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Turner in the fifth. Smith has tallied multiple hits in each of his past three contests, going 7-for-12 with a home run and three RBI over that span. He's back in the lineup for Thursday's early game against the Reds, working as the designated hitter while Austin Barnes takes over at catcher.

Knizner isn't starting Thursday against the Brewers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Knizner started the last three games and went 1-for-8 with a walk and a strikeout. Ivan Herrera will take over behind the dish and bat ninth Thursday.

Narvaez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against St. Louis.

Narvaez went 0-for-7 with a strikeout over his last two games and will be excluded from the starting lineup for the third time in the last five matchups. Victor Caratini is starting behind the plate and batting sixth.

Perez is not in the starting lineup Thursday versus the Cubs.

Perez will sit Thursday after he went 2-for-8 with a solo home run over the last two contests. Tyler Heineman will take over behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale.

Serven is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Marlins, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Serven will sit for the second game in a row Thursday as Elias Diaz draws the start at catcher, batting seventh. The two men continue to split time behind the plate with neither of them commanding the lion's share of playing time.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins and Rockies are closing their series with a day game after a night game, so Stallings will receive some routine maintenance after catching three of Miami's last four contests. Nick Fortes will check in for Stallings behind the plate, forming a battery with starting pitcher Braxton Garrett.