MLB Player News

Casali (wrist) was used off the bench in Game 2 of last week's series-clinching loss to the Braves, catching one inning and logging no plate appearances.

Casali started behind the dish in Game 1 of the series, but he exited in the sixth inning of a 1-0 loss in 13 innings while he battled a sore wrist. While he ceded his spot in the lineup to Tucker Barnhart in Game 2, Casali's entry into the game as a substitute suggests he'll head into the winter healthy. Unless the Reds feel confident that top catching prospect Tyler Stephenson is ready for a full-time assignment in the majors in 2021, Casali will likely reprise his role as a part-timer alongside Barnhart next season.

Casali is battling a sore wrist but is available off the bench Thursday for Game 2 of the Wild Card Round against Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Casali played the first six innings in Game 1 on Wednesday, which proved to be slightly less than half of the 13-inning contest. Tucker Barnhart starts behind the plate in Game 2.

The Cardinals added Knizner to their 28-man roster Wednesday ahead of the team's wild-card series with the Padres, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Knizner is slated to serve as the Cardinals' No. 3 catcher behind Yadier Molina and Matt Wieters during the three-game series. The 25-year-old appeared in eight games during the regular season, going 4-for-16 with four RBI.

The Dodgers added Ruiz to their 28-man roster Wednesday in advance of their wild-card series with the Brewers, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz will serve as a third catcher behind Will Smith and Austin Barnes for the three-game series. The Dodgers removed reliever Alex Wood from the roster to clear room for Ruiz.

The Padres reinstated Campusano (wrist) from the 10-day injured list and included him on the 28-man roster for the team's wild-card series with the Cardinals that begins Wednesday.

He'll serve as the Padres' No. 3 catcher behind Austin Nola and Jason Castro during the three-game series. Campusano appeared in one game before being shut down in early September with a sprained left wrist, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run in that contest.

Wallach will start at catcher and will bat ninth Wednesday in Game 1 of the Marlins' wild-card series with the Cubs, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Though Jorge Alfaro (when healthy) has retained the top spot on the Marlins' depth chart at catcher for much of this season, his struggles at the dish resulted in him ceding work to Wallach down the stretch. Wallach was behind the plate for three of the Marlins' final four regular-season contests, and his inclusion in the lineup for the team's postseason opener leaves little doubt that manager Don Mattingly views him as the top backstop for the time being.

Barnhart is not in Wednesday's Game 1 lineup against Atlanta.

It's not surprising to see Barnhart, who bats left-handed, go to the bench with southpaw Max Fried starting for Atlanta. Curt Casali gets the nod behind the dish while batting ninth.

The Pirates placed Stallings on the 7-day concussion injured list Sunday.

Stallings isn't believed to have a lengthy history of concussions, so the expectation is that he'll be fully cleared to resume baseball activities early in the offseason. He'll wrap up the 2019 campaign with a .248/.326/.376 slash line with three home runs and 18 RBI across 143 plate appearances over 42 games.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

The Braves' spot in the postseason has been solidified for some time, so manager Brian Snitker has taken to rotating starts between d'Arnaud and Tyler Flowers over the final week of the regular season. Expect d'Arnuad to be ready to catch nearly every game of the playoffs after he was one of the majors' top backstops in 2020. Over 44 games spanning 184 plate appearances, d'Arnaud slashed .321/.386/.533.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, two RBI and a walk in a victory versus the Angels on Saturday.

Smith knocked in a run with a single in the first inning and capped the Dodgers' scoring in the eighth with a solo homer to left field. The backstop has enjoyed a strong second major-league campaign, slashing .300/.414/.600 with eight homers and 25 RBI.