MLB Player News

Barnes is not starting against the Rockies on Saturday.

Barnes has a poor .559 OPS over his last 10 games. He'll get a rest Saturday, with Russell Martin starting behind the plate.

Gomes is not starting Saturday against the Braves.

Gomes has a modest .628 OPS on the season. Kurt Suzuki, who will start behind the plate in his place Saturday, owns an .819 OPS, so he could continue to earn starts at Gomes' expense going forward.

Mejia will start at catcher and bat seventh Saturday against the Pirates.

Now in the lineup for a fourth consecutive contest, Mejia appears to have at least temporarily supplanted Austin Hedges as the Padres' No. 1 catcher. Mejia's receiving and game-calling skills still leave much to be desired, but he's done his part at the plate since moving back up to the big leagues earlier this week, recording four hits -- including a home run and double -- over his prior three starts.

Stallings will start at catcher and bat eighth Saturday against the Padres.

Stallings will be making only his seventh start since he was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 26. He's only expected to spell top backstop Elias Diaz once or twice per week while he's up with the big club and should be headed back to Triple-A once Francisco Cervelli (concussion) is activated from the injured list.

Grandal will lead off in Saturday's game against the Reds.

Grandal has hit anywhere from second to seventh this season. He doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff hitter, though his .378 on-base percentage would seem to make him a good fit for the role. It's unclear if Saturday's lineup is a one-game experiment or if it represents the Brewers' future plans, though Lorenzo Cain's poor .253/.312/.357 slash line could mean the team is looking for a permanent change at the top of the lineup.

Diaz is not in Saturday's lineup against the Padres.

He is hitting .324 with an 8:5 K:BB in his last 21 games. Jacob Stallings will start behind the dish, hitting eighth.

Caratini is starting at first base and batting seventh in Saturday's game against the Mets.

Regular first baseman Anthony Rizzo is getting his first day off since May 17, which opens up first for Caratini. The 25-year-old is slashing .290/.389/.452 in limited playing time this season.

Casual started again Friday night, his seventh start in the last 11 games, going 0-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. Before the game Reds manager David Bell confirmed that the catching position is closer to a timeshare between Casali and Tucker Barnhart, rather than Casali backing up Barnhart, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I've talked to both guys," Bell said. "The way I see it, I don't know how the split is going to turn out. It may still be Tucker ends up getting 60-40, 70-30 or maybe at times it is closer to 50-50."

After Friday's game Casali is now hitting .273/.347/.445, whereas Barnhart has struggled, hitting just .196/.297/.393 in 59 games. Barnhart has the contract, plus the defensive reputation, that will keep giving him chances, but he's no longer a default starter over Casali.

Gomes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-3 victory against the Braves on Friday.

This was Gomes' first homer since April 26. Since then, he only had five extra-base hits in 32 games prior to Friday. Gomes is batting .224 with a measly .628 OPS, three home runs, 20 RBI and 10 runs in 156 at-bats this season.

Wallach (concussion) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.

Wallach has been out since late May. He recently resumed baseball activities but will now be ineligible to return before late July. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Wilkin Castillo, whose contract was selected after Jorge Alfaro landed on the injured list with a concussion of his own.