MLB Player News

Nido went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs Sunday in the Mets' 11-5 win over the Royals.

Nido's first double of the game came in the seventh inning and ended an 0-for-24 stretch for the backup catcher. While his performance in the series finale was an encouraging step forward, Nido isn't expected to eat into Wilson Ramos' playing time very much while the Mets remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

Hedges went 4-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 victory against the Phillies on Sunday.

This really came out of nowhere. Hedges came into the afternoon batting below .200 for the season and was just 1-for-17 (.059) during August. Before Sunday, he had four hits in his previous 11 games. Hedges has shown some pop this season, but with a .197 average, he's still not worth rostering in standard leagues. He has nine homers, 31 RBI and 20 runs in 244 at-bats.

Casali (hamstring) will report back to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday to resume his rehab assignment, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Working back from a sore right knee, Casali appeared in two games for Louisville a little over a week ago before being pulled off the assignment after he sustained a left hamstring strain. The hamstring tweak was apparently only minor in nature, as he was able to resume baseball activities after a few days off. If all goes well during the rehab assignment, the 30-year-old could be cleared to rejoin the Reds for their series in Pittsburgh next weekend.

Barnhart went 1-for-2 with two RBI in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

Barnhart didn't draw the start Sunday, but he entered the contest in the eighth inning and drove home a pair in the bottom of the ninth. The 28-year-old backstop is slashing .231/.332/.385 with nine homers and 32 RBI over 81 games this season.

Contreras (hamstring) is making progress in his rehab and is now "beyond discomfort," Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Contreras is no longer experiencing any discomfort in his right hamstring, so he'll now shift his focus to build-up, per Bastian. The Cubs announced at the beginning of August that they expect Contreras to miss around four weeks, though it's unclear if he's on track for a return in early September.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Kyle Farmer will check in behind the dish in what amounts to a maintenance day for Barnhart, who caught each of the Reds' previous four games.

Grandal is not in Sunday's lineup against the Nationals.

He is hitting .226 with one home run in 53 August at-bats, but is in the midst of a modest four-game hitting streak. Manny Pina starts behind the dish and will hit sixth.

Mejia is not in Sunday's lineup against the Phillies.

He has hit .463 with two home runs in 13 games this month. Austin Hedges will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.

The catcher has now gone deep in back-to-back games and four times in the last five contests, giving him 19 homers and 66 RBI on the season to go with a strong .282/.333/.489 slash line. Realmuto is closing in rapidly on some milestones -- he now sits three home runs and nine RBI short of new career highs in those categories.

Smith is not in Saturday's lineup against the Braves, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

He is hitting .360 with seven home runs in 50 at-bats since taking over as the Dodgers' primary catcher in late July. Russell Martin is catching and hitting eighth.