MLB Player News

Fortes is hitting seventh and starting behind the plate Saturday against Pittsburgh, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Fortes had his contract selected Friday, and he is set to make his big-league debut one day later. A fourth-round pick in the 2018 MLB draft, Fortes played at both Double-A and Triple-A this season. Most recently, he hit .237/.322/.378 across 152 plate appearances at Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins also selected the contract of Payton Henry on Friday, so the team could have a duo of young backstops starting the majority of the games to close the season.

Ruiz is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz has turned in consecutive three-hit performances, but he will sit Saturday for the fourth time in the Nationals' last eight games. Alex Avila will start behind the plate in Ruiz's absence.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's loss against the Giants.

D'Arnaud came close to being the hero for Atlanta, as his three-run bomb gave the team a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. The backstop has hit safely in five of his last six games but is hitting a mere .238 with a .843 OPS across 13 contests this month.

Smith is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Cincinnati, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith hits the bench after starting six of the last seven games behind the plate. Austin Barnes enters the lineup in his place, catching Max Scherzer.

Ruiz went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 9-8 loss to Colorado.

The 23-year-old recorded the first two three-hit efforts of his career in his last two games. Ruiz is now batting .224 with a home run, six RBI, four runs scored and a pair of doubles in 18 games between the Nationals and the Dodgers this year. He figures to see the bulk of the playing time behind the plate, while Riley Adams and Alex Avila compete for the backup role.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-8 win over Washington.

The catcher has homered three times in his last seven games, giving him 18 long balls on the year. Diaz's .236/.304/.469 slash line isn't anything special, but he's enjoying a career year when it comes to power thanks to playing half his games at Coors Field. He's added 40 RBI, 50 runs scored and 15 doubles across 96 contests.

Fortes had his contract selected by the Marlins on Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Jorge Alfaro (calf) landed on the injured list Friday, and Miami opted to promote both Fortes and Payton Henry from Triple-A Jacksonville. There's now four catchers on the active roster, with Alex Jackson and Sandy Leon rounding out the group. Playing time may be difficult to predict given all the options, but Henry will receive the start Friday versus Pittsburgh.

Realmuto (elbow) will be in the lineup Friday against the Mets, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto's availability was in doubt after he was hit by a pitch on the left elbow Thursday, but he'll still be in the lineup for Friday's series opener in New York. The 30-year-old is 8-for-18 with a homer, a double, three walks, five RBI, four runs and two stolen bases across his past five games.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

Contreras missed some time recently due to a knee injury, but he's still been able to reach 19 home runs in 115 games of action. If the catcher pops one more long ball down the stretch, he'll hit the 20-homer mark for the third time in his six-year MLB career. His career high is 24 home runs, which he recorded across just 105 games back in 2019. Contreras should have a few more chances to go deep this year, though the 66-81 Cubs will likely give him some rest days too as they turn their attention to 2022.

Realmuto exited late in Thursday's game against the Cubs after being hit by a pitch in the left elbow and triceps area, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Manager Joe Girardi described Realmuto as sore after the game, though X-rays did come back negative. Girardi was non-committal regarding Realmuto's availability to play Friday, so it's possible that Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate. Prior to exiting Thursday's contest, Realmuto had gone 1-for-4 with two RBI.