MLB Player News

Gomes is not starting Sunday against San Diego.

Gomes still has the edge in starts behind the plate in Washington, getting the call 15 times compared to 11 for Kurt Suzuki, who will start Sunday.

Grandal is not starting Sunday against the Mets.

After hitting .404 over his first 16 games, Grandal has fallen into a small slump, hitting .121 over his last nine. Manny Pina starts behind the plate in his absence.

Realmuto is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Realmuto sits for the first time in a week and just his fourth time all season. Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate in his absence.

Stallings (neck) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Stallings is dealing with a cervical neck strain. It's not clear when he's expected to return, but he won't have a major-league roster spot to come back to, as Elias Diaz is back as the backup catcher after missing an extended period due to illness.

Contreras is not starting Saturday against Arizona.

Contreras has carried a heavy workload for a catcher, starting 12 straight games prior to Saturday's contest. Taylor Davis will make his first start of the season in his absence.

Hedges is not in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

The 26-year-old will receive the day off as Francisco Mejia will start at catcher and bat eighth. Mejia hasn't started in back-to-back games so far this season, so Hedges will probably return to the lineup Sunday.

Casali went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI in Friday's 12-1 win over the Cardinals.

The Reds hit five homers in the game, but it was Casali who led the team in RBI thanks to a single in the fourth inning and a bases-loaded two-bagger in the ninth. The catcher is slashing a robust .306/.342/.444 through 16 games, but he's still looking for his first homer and had driven in only one run prior to Friday.

Gomes went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-3 loss to the Padres on Friday.

Hopefully this three-hit performance means Gomes is breaking out of his slump. He came into the night just 2-for-21 (.095) in the last six games. With that dry spell, Gomes went from hitting .300 to .216. He is now batting .255 with two homers, eight RBI and five runs in 55 at-bats this season.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Friday's game at St. Louis.

Barnhart will head to the bench after starting the last three games and going 1-for-10 with a solo home run and four strikeouts. Curt Casali will start behind the plate and bat seventh in his stead.

Stallings (neck) was cleared to resume light baseball activities Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stallings was diagnosed with cervical neck strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend. The transaction coincided with fellow catcher Elias Diaz's (illness) activation from the IL, so Stallings with be a clear No. 3 in the organizational pecking order at the position once he's healthy again.