MLB Player News

Gomes went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and three RBI in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Marlins.

The catcher's bases-loaded double capped a five-run fourth inning for the Nats, giving Patrick Corbin all the offense he would need as he tossed his second career shutout. Gomes is slashing only .239/.323/.336 on the season, but he appears to be heating up, going 7-for-16 with four walks and five RBI over the course of a five-game hitting streak.

Barnhart went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored in Saturday's loss to the Cubs.

Barnhart opened the scoring with a two-run shot off Yu Darvish in the second inning. He later doubled and scored in the sixth. His season numbers remain poor, as he's hitting just .195 with a .644 OPS.

Diaz is not starting Saturday against the Dodgers.

Diaz will sit after starting seven of the last eight games. Fellow catcher Francisco Cervelli was healthy for the first four of those games but had been battling a chest contusion for the last three. It's unclear what the playing-time breakdown will be going forward now that both are healthy.

Barnes is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Barnes has gone 7-for-15 at the plate over his last four games, but Russell Martin will get the start behind the plate Saturday.

Caratini is starting at catcher and batting sixth in Saturday's game against the Reds.

Willson Contreras will be out of the starting lineup for the second day in a row, so Caratini will start behind the plate once again. The 25-year-old went 0-for-2 with two walks in Friday's loss, and he's slashing .400/.545/.640 across 25 at-bats this season.

Contreras is not in Saturday's lineup against the Reds.

He is hitting .348/.430/.561 with four home runs in 66 at-bats in May. Victor Caratini is starting behind the dish, hitting sixth.

Wallach was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a concussion, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Wallach apparently sustained the concussion in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, though he never actually exited the contest. It's unclear why the Marlins opted to utilize the 10-day IL rather than the 7-day version, which is earmarked specifically for concussions. Regardless, the 27-year-old will be eligible to be activated June 1, while Bryan Holaday joins the team to fill in as Jorge Alfaro's backup behind the plate.

Knizner, RotoWire's No. 4 fantasy prospect in the Cardinals organization, is slashing .298/.360/.484 with 13 extra-base hits (eight doubles, five home runs), 17 RBI, eight walks, a stolen base and 20 runs across 136 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis.

Knizner is proving that his initial success against Triple-A arms over a 17-game sample in 2018 was no fluke, as he's squared up on the ball consistently throughout a more extensive 2019 tenure at Memphis. The 24-year-old has been on the fast track through the Cardinals organization since his Rookie league debut in 2016, acquitting himself well at every stop. The seemingly ageless Yadier Molina and fellow veteran Matt Wieters currently hold down the catcher spots at the big-league level, but Knizner, who already saw one potential obstacle in Carson Kelly traded this past offseason, will continue getting further seasoning with the Redbirds until his number is called.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.

Contreras will return to the bench Friday after starting the last three games and going 2-for-11 with one RBI and two walks. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a productive May with a .338/.423/.544 slash line in 20 games. Victor Caratini will start behind the dish and bat sixth for the Cubs in his absence.

Smith is slashing .277/.395/.546 with eight homers and 27 RBI through 130 at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Smith has been red-hot at the dish for Oklahoma City, as a three-hit, two-homer day Tuesday gave him five long balls in 10 games. He's currently sporting a robust .941 OPS, showing vast improvement at the Triple-A level compared to his 25-game stint with Oklahoma City last season that saw him hit just .138. Smith is considered one of the top two prospects the Dodgers have at catcher along with Keibert Ruiz.