MLB Player News

Diaz went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against Washington on Thursday.

His struggles both in the field and at the plate have proven perplexing. Even in the absence of former starting catcher Francisco Cervelli, Diaz has ceded time to Jacob Stallings. After posting a .286 batting average with 10 homers and .792 OPS in 252 at-bats last season, Diaz has hit .243 with one homer and .606 OPS in 251 at-bats this year. He's gone just 4-for-27 with no extra-base hits in August.

Caratini is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals.

Caratini started the last two contests and will take a seat Friday as he is 3-for-24 with nine strikeouts in his last nine games. Jonathan Lucroy will start behind the plate and bat seventh in his absence.

Smith is not in Thursday's lineup against the Blue Jays, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith has been a godsend for fantasy owners since his callup. He is hitting .306 with seven home runs in 15 games this month. Russell Martin will get a start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Stallings is not in Thursday's lineup against the Nationals.

Elias Diaz (head) returns behind the plate and will bat eighth. In related news, Francisco Cervelli (concussion) was released by the Pirates earlier in the day, so it is officially Stallings and Diaz's show behind the plate going forward.

Diaz (head) is starting behind the dish and hitting eighth Thursday against the Nationals.

He missed a couple games after getting hit by a bat on his catcher's mask in Monday's game, but is healthy enough to catch a full game against Washington. In related news, Francisco Cervelli (concussion) was released by the Pirates earlier in the day, so it is officially Diaz and Jacob Stalling's show behind the plate going forward.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in the Dodgers' 2-1 win over the Blue Jays in 10 innings.

Smith got the scoring started in the fourth inning, when he took Zack Godley deep for his 12th long ball of the season. The rookie has supplied six of those home runs in the last seven games and seems to have already asserted himself as a high-end fantasy catcher despite still maintaining prospect eligibility.

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Reds.

Mejia drove a ball 380 feet over the wall in right center field for San Diego's only long ball of the game. The 23-year-old continues to wield a hot bat in August and is now slashing .404/.436/.712 with four homers this month. He has started six of the last seven games -- including a stint in left field Tuesday -- and has risen to the fifth spot in the order as the Padres place increasing value on his offensive production.

Campusano and Lancaster's Luis Castro were named co-MVPs of the California League on Wednesday.

Campusano emerged as a top prospect with High-A Lake Elsinore this season, leading the league with a .320 batting average while slugging 13 home runs and racking up 69 RBI in 388 at-bats. The 20-year-old also possesses excellent defensive skills behind the plate. He is likely a few years away from joining the big club.

Contreras (hamstring) did some on-field drills prior to Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

He did some agility work in the outfield grass as he works back from a hamstring strain that carried a return timetable of early September when first diagnosed in early August. While he's making steady progress, the catcher isn't very close to beginning a rehab assignment, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Victor Caratini and Jonathan Lucroy will continue to have a fairly even split of work behind the plate in his absence.

Jackson was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett prior to Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Brian McCann was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left knee sprain, and he is expected to miss a couple weeks. Tyler Flowers will serve as the primary catcher. Jackson has significant raw power (.286 ISO, 25 HR in 81 games at Triple-A), but he has not hit above .225 since he was at Double-A in 2017.