MLB Player News

Jackson was optioned to the Braves' alternate training site Tuesday.

Ronald Acuna was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Jackson's placement on the 40-man roster means he could be back in the majors later this summer, but he has four strikeouts in seven at-bats this year and lacks the defensive chops to get playing time when he is not producing at the dish.

Casali went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Brewers.

Casali got the Reds on the board with his homer off Brett Anderson in the sixth. The backstop is hitting .179/.319/.513 while handling the short side of a catching platoon with Tucker Barnhart.

Narvaez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and double in Monday's 4-2 win over the Reds.

Narvaez finally got on the board in the home run column when he took Trevor Bauer deep for a solo shot in the fourth inning. The backstop added a double in the sixth. Although he still sports an underwhelming .175/.299/.281 slash line, Narvaez has shown signs of heating up in the past two games, logging a single and three extra-base hits in his last eight at-bats.

Barnhart is not in Monday's lineup against the Brewers.

He has yet to start against a lefty this year, so it is no surprise that he will head to the bench with southpaw Brett Anderson on the hill for the Brewers. Curt Casali will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-3 win over the Rockies.

Smith was activated from the injured list after nursing a neck injury and wasted no time making his presence felt. His seventh-inning blast was one of seven long balls by the Dodgers on Sunday. The 25-year-old owns an .841 OPS with three homers this season.

Narvaez went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates.

Narvaez drove in Luis Urias with a single in the fifth. He added a double in the sixth, bringing his slash line to .151/.286/.189. The lefty swinger figures to continue to get the bulk of the time behind the plate against right-handed pitching.

Ruiz was optioned to the Dodgers' alternate training site Sunday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The 22-year-old joined the Dodgers last week and went 2-for-8 with a homer in his first two major-league games. Ruiz was promoted with Will Smith (neck) on the injured list, but Smith was activated ahead of Sunday's game.

Hedges is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

Hedges started five of six games entering Saturday, but he's now been on the bench for the past two contests. Luis Torrens receives another start behind the plate for the Friars.

Smith (neck) was activated off the 10-day injured list Sunday and will start against the Rockies, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The 25-year-old hasn't played since Aug. 12 due to the neck inflammation, but he'll return after spending the 10-day minimum on the shelf. Smith has a .188/.341/.406 slash line through 41 plate appearances and should reclaim primary catching duties, though Austin Barnes' recent success (.932 OPS in his past nine games) could lead to a more even split of playing time if Smith's struggles continue.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Gomes handled the lighter end of a timeshare with Kurt Suzuki behind the plate to begin the season, but the former's hot bat of late has seemingly allowed him to emerge as Washington's top backstop. Though Suzuki will catch Anibal Sanchez on Sunday, Gomes had started six of the Nationals' last nine games, going 9-for-24 with four extra-base hits -- including two home runs -- to go with five RBI and four runs.