MLB Player News

Smith isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith started each of the last two games and went 4-for-7 with a homer, two runs and two RBI. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Diaz went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two doubles and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to San Francisco.

The catcher entered Wednesday's contest just 1-for-11 across six games in September prior to the three-hit outburst. Diaz has thrived with Colorado this year, swatting 16 homers with 35 RBI and 45 runs scored despite slashing just .232/.303/.461 across 314 plate appearances. Diaz's recent slump allowed Dom Nunez to earn a more even time behind the dish, but the latter hasn't been as consistent a hitter this year.

Caratini will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Angels.

Caratini continues to serve as the personal catcher for Yu Darvish, who is on the mound Wednesday for the Friars. Beyond Darvish's starts, Caratini has struggled to pick up playing time behind No. 1 backstop Austin Nola since early August. Dating back to Aug. 1, Caratini has started in only 11 of the Padres' 32 games, slashing .175/.190/.225 with four runs and three RBI.

Ruiz (knee) is starting Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz fouled a ball off his knee Saturday and had been out of the lineup since then, but he went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter Tuesday. However, his knee is feeling better Wednesday, and he'll start at catcher and bat seventh.

Nola isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

Nola went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in Tuesday's series opener, but he'll take a seat for the second time in the last three games. Victor Caratini will start behind the dish and bat eighth with Yu Darvish on the mound Wednesday.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

With four starts in the Reds' previous six games, Stephenson has seen an uptick in playing time lately, but that's mostly been a byproduct of Cincinnati facing a lefty-heavy slate. Stephenson will be on the bench for the second game in a row with the Reds matching up another righty (Alec Mills) in the series finale, affording No. 1 backstop Tucker Barnhart a turn behind the plate.

Smith went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 7-2 win over St. Louis on Tuesday.

The backstop logged his first four-hit game of the campaign and drilled his fifth homer in his past 10 games. Smith has cemented his place among the top catchers in the game this season, slashing .273/.381/.518 across 431 plate appearances. He leads National League backstops with 23 homers, 68 RBI, 61 runs and 52 walks.

Casali will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Rockies.

Casali should make for an appealing streaming option in season-long leagues with daily lineup moves, given that he'll have the benefit of hitting at high altitude in Colorado. Beyond Wednesday, however, Casali won't provide much fantasy value, given that he typically starts only once or twice per week while No. 1 catcher Buster Posey is healthy. Posey is merely getting some routine maintenance Wednesday with the Giants playing a day game after a night game.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Reds on Tuesday.

The homer was Contreras' first since July 29 and it came in his fourth game back from a knee injury. He was batting leadoff against a lefty, which should be expected to be the norm down the stretch. While it's been a disappointing season overall for Contreras, only Will Smith of the Dodgers has more home runs among NL catchers.

Diaz isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Giants, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Diaz will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-3 with a walk Monday. Dom Nunez will start behind the dish and bat eighth.