MLB Player News

Diaz will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Anyone who calls Coors Field home is theoretically an interesting fantasy option, but that hasn't been the case for either of the Rockies' backstops this season. Diaz is hitting just .209/.282/.374 on the year, while Dom Nunez, who starts behind the plate Saturday, is hitting just .171/.274/.355.

Barnhart will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Barnhart is having a good season at the plate, as his .762 OPS represents a career high. Fellow backstop Tyler Stephenson owns an even better .807 OPS, however, so the Reds will likely continue to give Barnhart fairly frequent rest in the second half. Stephenson will catch Luis Castillo on Saturday.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, four RBI and a run Friday in the Dodgers' 10-4 win over the Rockies.

The four RBI established a new season high for Smith, who had driven in four runs combined over his final nine games prior to the All-Star break. Smith hit out of the cleanup spot Friday, and his presence in the heart of a loaded Los Angeles lineup should continue to make him one of the most valuable fantasy catchers during the second half.

Nola (knee) served as a designated hitter for Triple-A El Paso on Friday and went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Nola has played in seven of the past eight days for El Paso, going 6-for-18 with a 2:4 BB:K thus far during his rehab assignment. He notably caught five innings Thursday, and the Padres could bring him back from the 10-day injured list once he catches a full nine-inning game for El Paso. Victor Caratini will continue to serve as the Padres' top backstop until Nola is reinstated.

Gomes (oblique) doesn't have a timetable for his return, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Gomes has been on the 10-day injured list since Saturday due to a left oblique strain, but he apparently wasn't able to participate in many activities across the last week. It appears likely that the 33-year-old will need to spend more than the minimum of 10 days on the injured list, and a better idea of his status could be revealed once he ramps up his workload.

Barrera is not in the lineup Friday against the Padres, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Barrera has been seeing plenty of action with Yan Gomes (oblique) and Alex Avila (calf) sidelined, but he won't start the first game of the second half. Rene Rivera signed with the Nationals earlier in the day and will start Friday. Barrera and Rivera should split playing time behind the plate until Gomes or Avila is healthy.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Realmuto was never likely to start both games of the twin bill, so he'll be on the bench for the matinee. He should be back in the lineup for the nightcap, while Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate in his place.

Alvarez has hit .231/.350/.479 with seven homers, 20 RBI, 21 runs and a 20:35 BB:K across 37 games since being promoted to High-A Brooklyn.

His strikeout rate has more than doubled from his stint in Low-A earlier this year (from 10.4 percent to an even 25 percent), but Alvarez has also had some bad batted-ball luck, so it's fair to expect his average to climb. Considering that he's still 19 years old -- a full four years younger than the average player in the High-A East league -- he's doing great. His stats have been hurt significantly by a recent slump, as Alvarez has gone 1-for-32 over his last eight games. Before that, he was hitting .286/.389/.571 with Brooklyn. Alvarez is a ways off from the majors, but he's one of the most exciting catching prospects in the game.

Knizner wrapped up the first half of the season with a .178/.267/.222 slash line, four doubles, two RBI, nine walks and 11 runs across 101 plate appearances over 36 games.

Heading into the season, the company line was that ageless backstop Yadier Molina would finally begin to cut down on his typically voluminous workload to a degree, which would lead to more consistent opportunities for Knizner. That said, while Knizner has already doubled up on his previous career high of 18 games, it's worth noting at least 14 of his appearances thus far have been a direct result of Molina's injury-related absences, and Knizner finished the first half logging only two starts from June 22 onward. However, Molina did skip the All-Star Game to rest a nagging foot injury, so there may be opportunities for Knizner to draw some starts early in the second half.

Bart was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento following Sunday's win over Washington, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Bart was brought up to the 26-man roster Saturday and notched two singles, one RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win. He'll now continue to get reps in Sacramento while the big club is on break. It's possible that the backstop rejoins the 26-man roster for Friday's game against the Cardinals, but that decision will likely depend on whether Buster Posey (thumb) is ready to be activated from the injured list.