MLB Player News

Gomes (oblique) took swings in the batting cage Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gomes took about 40 swings during his hitting session Friday, and he felt good afterward. He should continue to get work in the cage for a few more days, and the Nationals hope to get the 34-year-old back on the field shortly after. It's not yet clear when Gomes will be able to return to game action, but he's expected to require a rehab assignment before he's cleared to rejoin the big-league roster.

Wallach was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

Wallach appeared in 22 games with the major-league club earlier in the year then spent nearly two months at Jacksonville prior to Friday's call-up. He hit .204 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and 11 runs across 31 minor-league contests, and he'll serve as catching depth.

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

Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson had alternated starts behind the plate for the last eight games, but it's now Stephenson who will get the nod for the second game in a row. Stephenson's .774 OPS makes a great case for more playing time, though Barnhart's .754 mark isn't far behind, so a fairly even split should be expected down the stretch unless something changes.

Nola will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Marlins.

Nola returned from a knee injury Thursday but won't be asked to start two games in a row right away. Victor Caratini will catch Joe Musgrove in his absence.

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Contreras started the past four contests and will take a seat after going 3-for-15 with two doubles and a walk during that stretch. Robinson Chirinos will work behind the plate in his absence.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss against the Giants.

Smith has been one of the best offensive catchers in all of baseball this season and his power displays have been noticeable of late, as he has three homers over his last five contests. The backstop is hitting .261 with a .844 OPS through 80 games this season and should continue to handle most of the catching duties in one of the most complete lineups in the National League.

D'Arnaud (thumb) joined Atlanta to begin its current road and participated in various baseball activities, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

While it's an encouraging sign for the veteran catcher, d'Arnaud still has a lot of steps ahead in his recovery. "He's going to need to take live BPs, and obviously, play some rehab games and all that kind of stuff," manager Brian Snitker said Thursday. "It's a good sign, I think, that he's accelerating his activity. But still, you're not going to rush something like this. They'll be able to tell when he is ready. It's just about the strength and repetitions, and seeing how his body handles all that again." While the club hasn't offered a concrete timetable for his recovery, a mid-August return to the lineup seems within reach for d'Arnaud.

Nola (knee) went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks in Thursday's 3-2 win over Miami.

Nola missed nearly two months with a sprained knee, although he got on base twice in his first game back. The 31-year-old is batting just .204 through 19 games this season, but Victor Caratini hit only .215 in Nola's absence. As such, San Diego's catchers may split time more evenly going forward unless one of them gets hot with the bat.

Caratini is not in the lineup Thursday against the Marlins, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Austin Nola (knee) will receive the start in his first game back from the injured list, pushing Caratini to the bench. Caratini will see a drop in playing time, though there's a chance he and Nola could split work behind the plate.

Nola (knee) was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

The 31-year-old has been on the shelf since late May with a sprained knee, and he'll rejoin the active roster for Thursday's series opener against the Marlins. Nola has been limited to 18 games this season due to injury and has a .217/.373/.326 slash line in 59 plate appearances. He saw some work at first base during his rehab assignment, and now that he's healthy he should share catching duties with Victor Caratini.