MLB Player News

Diaz is out of the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers.

As expected, Diaz won't be tasked with catching two games on the same day. Jacob Stallings gets the nod in his place.

Mesoraco is out of Saturday's lineup against Washington.

Mesoraco is batting .218 over 133 at-bats against right-handers this season, so he'll take a seat with Austin Voth toeing the rubber. Kevin Plawecki will handle the catching duties and bat sixth in Mesoraco's place.

Stallings was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

Stallings will serve as the backup catcher after Francisco Cervelli (concussion) landed on the 7-day disabled list. Stallings is 1-for-6 with a walk in four games in the big leagues this season.

Barnhart is not in Saturday's lineup against the Cardinals.

Barnhart is slated for a day off after making six straight starts behind the dish. He's gone 4-for-24 with one double and two RBI over that span. Curt Castillo is set to handle the catching duties with Barnhart on the bench.

Grullon won the Eastern League Home Run Derby on Tuesday, hitting 24 homers to win the title, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Long considered a glove-only backup catching prospect, Grullon has finally started to show something with the bat this season, leading all Eastern League catchers with 12 homers. His .287/.316/.520 slash line is quite good, translating to a 126 wRC+ even after accounting for the hitter-friendly home park where he plays for Reading. Many Phillies prospects have shown promise at the plate at Reading only to flounder at higher levels, so Grullon will have to continue to prove himself once he's eventually promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but he's certainly done what he can to raise his profile so far this season.

Plawecki went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Nationals.

Plawecki took Max Scherzer deep in the seventh inning for his second home run of the season. He has an uninspiring .229/.357/.406 line through 96 at-bats this season, and he continues to lag behind Devin Mesoraco on the Mets' catching depth chart, limiting his fantasy value to the deepest of formats.

Wallach was sent down to Triple-A New Orleans on Thursday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Wallach was taken off the 40-man roster in order to make room for J.T. Realmuto, who was reinstated from the paternity list in a corresponding move. Across 34 plate appearances with the Marlins this year, Wallach is hitting just .129/.182/.161 and doesn't provide much fantasy value in any format.

Realmuto was activated from the paternity leave list Thursday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto should be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Phillies after being away from the team for the past three days due to the birth of his child. In a corresponding move, Chad Wallach was optioned to the minors.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup versus the Nationals on Thursday.

Mesoraco will receive a standard day off after starting the past two games, and four of the previous five, behind the plate. Kevin Plawecki will catch Steven Matz during the series opener.

Smith went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI for Double-A Tulsa in its 9-5 loss to Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.

It's the fourth consecutive game with a home run for Smith, who upped his season count to 16, placing him in a tie for second place in the Texas League. Nine of those long balls have come in his last 14 games, with Smith slashing an otherworldly .447/.542/1.128 over that span. The 23-year-old has been sharing time at Tulsa this season with the Dodgers' top catching prospect, Keibert Ruiz, with Smith receiving starts at third base and designated hitter on days when he's not catching.