MLB Player News

Smith (neck) could return to the Dodgers' lineup Sunday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Smith has been dealing with neck inflammation that warranted a trip to the injured list, but he took at-bats and worked behind the plate at the team's alternate training site Friday. If he feels good afterward, manager Dave Roberts is hoping he'll be able to return Sunday, the first day he's eligible to be activated. Once he's back in action, Smith should again split time behind the plate with Austin Barnes.

Caratini is not in the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

Caratini started the past four games and went 2-for-8 with a double, three RBI and three walks during that stretch, but he'll take a seat for Friday's series opener. Willson Contreras will start behind the plate while Kyle Schwarber serves as the designated hitter.

Stallings is not in the lineup Friday against the Brewers.

Stallings started the past five games and went 6-for-14 during that stretch, but he'll receive a day off for Friday's series opener. John Ryan Murphy will take over behind the plate and bat ninth for Pittsburgh.

Jackson was recalled from Atlanta's alternate training site Friday.

The 24-year-old is 2-for-7 in three games this season and will rejoin the major-league roster for the weekend matchup with Philadelphia. Jackson is likely to fill a reserve role while Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud remain healthy.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Rangers.

With one out and the score knotted 6-6 in the eighth inning, Hedges took Jesse Chavez deep with a solo shot to give the Padres the lead. The long ball was the third of the year for the backstop, who is hitting just .167/.239/.381 across 20 games this season.

Heineman was optioned to San Francisco's alternate camp site Thursday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Heineman's move to the team's satellite camp corresponds with top prospect Joey Bart's move to the majors. The backstop appeared in 13 games during his time with the Giants and hit .195 with a 4:6 BB:K.

Narvaez is not starting Thursday against the Twins.

Narvaez, who is hitting just .133 though 16 games this season, will sit for a second straight game as Manny Pina picks up another start behind the dish in his stead.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto will head to the bench for the second half of Thursday's twin bill after going hitless in the first game. Andrew Knapp is starting at catcher and hitting eighth in Game 2.

The Giants called up Bart from their alternate training site ahead of Thursday's game against the Angels.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 first-year player draft and one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball, Bart will make the jump to the majors with less than 100 plate appearances of Double-A experience under his belt. Despite his lack of high-level experience, the 23-year-old should prove to be an immediate upgrade over the Giants' current backstop tandem of Chadwick Tromp (.521 OPS) and Tyler Heineman (.503 OPS). Expect Bart to immediately settle into an everyday role behind the dish with San Francisco, and the Giants could look to keep his bat in the lineup by deploying him as a designated hitter on his non-catching days. Bart slashed .284/.343/.542 with 29 home runs in 130 games over his two seasons in the minors.

The Rockies reinstated Diaz (not injury related) from the restricted list Thursday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Colorado had moved Diaz to the restricted list Monday after he broke COVID-19-related protocols, but his reinstatement suggests he's now made amends for the transgression. Diaz is expected to step back in as the primary backup to top catcher Tony Wolters.