MLB Player News

Knizner's contract was purchased from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

He should spend at least a brief period on the big-league roster while Yadier Molina is out with a thumb injury. Knizner projects as the Cardinals' future starter behind the plate and owns a solid .286/.355/.450 line for Memphis this season, though he may not be able to unseat Matt Wieters for a temporary starting role.

Contreras is not in the lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

Contreras is hitless in his last three games, though his season line remains an excellent .296/.402/.568. Victor Caratini will start behind the plate.

Diaz is not starting Friday against the Brewers.

Diaz has become the clear starter behind the plate in Pittsburgh, starting 12 of 15 games prior to Friday. He owns a solid .276 batting average, but singles make up the bulk of his production, giving him an unimpressive .614 OPS. Jacob Stallings gets the start behind the plate in his absence.

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

Barnhart will sit for the third time in the last four games with Curt Casali grabbing another start behind the dish. Barnhart is hitting .346 with two homers and eight RBI in his last eight games but has essentially been splitting time with Casali over the past couple weeks.

Bart (hand) stated that he could return to action "any day now," Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart has been sidelined with a fractured metacarpal after getting drilled by a pitch April 15. The Giants' top catching prospect has been rehabbing his hand at the team's spring training facility, but it sounds like he is getting ready to return to, presumably, High-A San Jose shortly. Bart was slashing .270/.341/.541 prior to landing on the injured list.

Grandal went 4-for-6 with a solo home run and a double during Thursday's 11-5 win over the Pirates.

Grandal, who had homered in two of his last three games, added another on a solo shot to right in the third inning. He also lashed a double to center in the fifth, with the pair of extra-base hits pushing his OPS to a formidable .922 for the season. Now up to 12 home runs in 2019, Grandal has delivered power and hot hitting that have him among the top fantasy catchers going at the moment.

Smith will head to the bench for Thursday's tilt with the Mets, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old had drawn two straight starts after getting called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and notched his first two career hits in his Tuesday debut, but he'll rotate out for this bout with the Mets and make way for Russell Martin. Smith's callup was due to a groin injury to Austin Barnes, who is on track to return after the minimum time on the 10-day injured list, so it remains to be seen what role Smith will have when Barnes gets back. Barnes is a trusted option, but the offensive upside Smith demonstrated at Triple-A makes for a compelling case that he should receive an extended run with the big club.

Fry is hitting .301/.374/.527 with six home runs, 22 doubles, 34 RBI and a 20:45 BB:K though 211 plate appearances over 50 games with Low-A Wisconsin.

Fry posted a .969 OPS in 61 rookie-league games a year ago in his first professional season, and he has kept hitting in his first go-around in full-season ball, leading all minor-league players with his 22 doubles. Fry is almost two years older than the average age of players in the Midwest League, which takes some shine off his numbers. If he keeps hitting like he has as he moves up the ranks, though, he could certainly generate some buzz.

Diaz collected a pair of singles in a 7-2 win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Diaz is taking advantage of his opportunity with starter Francisco Cervelli (concussion) sidelined. He's started 11 of the last 13 games and is batting .370 in 46 at-bat over the span. Diaz has only two extra-base hits in 72 May plate appearances, but there's reason to expect improvement in the power category. The 28-year-old slashed .286/.339/.452 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 277 plate appearances last season.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

The Phillies and Cardinals will face a quick turnaround with opening pitch for the series finale set for 1:05 p.m. EDT, so Realmuto will get a breather after starting behind the plate the previous two days. Andrew Knapp will check in at catcher and bat seventh.