MLB Player News

Smith will go back to Triple-A Oklahoma City when Austin Barnes (groin) returns from the injured list, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith has started four of six games since getting called up after Barnes' injury, but manager Dave Roberts said that the 24-year-old will head back to Triple-A when Barnes returns. Barnes is eligible for activation June 7, so Smith should see a few more at-bats as the stopgap until then. He was lighting up Triple-A before his callup and made a good first impression at the dish and defensively, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Smith get another run with the big club somewhere down the line this season.

Mejia (knee) was activated off the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Mejia was with El Paso on a rehab assignment for a left knee sprain, and he will remain there instead of returning to the Padres. The young catcher slashed .167/.207/.259 with a 31 percent strikeout rate in 19 games prior to suffering the injury May 11. Austin Allen should continue to serve as the backup to starter Austin Hedges.

Casali went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBI and two runs scored Friday against the Nationals.

Casili didn't waste much time in this one, giving the Reds an early five-run lead in the first inning with the help of a three-run blast to left. He would later double home a run in the fourth inning. The 30-year-old backstop has seen an uptick in playing time of late, likely due to his recent hot hitting. Casili has now reached safely in four of his last five contests.

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.