MLB Player News

Stassi (undisclosed) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi was held out of the lineup Monday against the Rays and will now join fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki (undisclosed) on the COVID-19 IL. It's unclear if either player has tested positive for the virus, but the Angels are without their top two catchers regardless. Austin Romine was called up in a corresponding move and should split reps behind the plate with Chad Wallach.

Huff was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff spent three days on the major-league roster earlier in the season, going 1-for-3 at the plate in his lone game. In 19 games for Round Rock, he's hit .260/.349/.575 with seven homers. He'll back up Jonah Heim behind the plate while Mitch Garver (elbow) is on the injured list.

Garver was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a flexor sprain, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The injury seemingly explains why Garver sat out the Rangers' last two games. His expected return date is not yet clear. Jonah Heim will step into the starting role behind the plate, with Sam Huff getting called up to serve as his backup.

Manager Dave Roberts said Smith is being held out of the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates due to a right pectoral injury, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Roberts noted that the Dodgers are just exercising extra caution with Smith, who will give way to Austin Barnes at catcher for the second straight game. The Dodgers are optimistic that Smith will be able to return to the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in Pittsburgh or Thursday's series opener against the Phillies.

Barnhart will sit for the second half of Tuesday's doubleheader against Oakland.

Barnhart went 2-for-4 in the first game of the day. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate in the second game, catching for Alex Faedo.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Ruiz sat out Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Angels and is on the bench again after Monday's team off day. The Nationals haven't confirmed that Ruiz is dealing with an injury, but in any case, Riley Adams will replace him behind the plate.

Triple-A Salt Lake placed Thaiss on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue.

Outfielder Orlando Martinez was called up from Double-A Rocket City to replace Thaiss on the Triple-A roster. Thaiss has hit .226 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 70 plate appearances at Salt Lake this season.

Collins remains on the bench for the third straight game Tuesday against the Yankees.

Collins has had a regular role at times this season but may be falling out of favor. He still owns a 115 wRC+ through 15 games, the product of a .222/.288/.444 slash line, but his 39.0 percent strikeout rate casts doubt on how long he'll be able to remain effective. Alejandro Kirk will be the designated hitter Tuesday, with Tyler Heineman starting behind the plate.

Smith is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Considering that Smith is the Dodgers' clear No. 1 catcher and is now out of the lineup for the second game in a row, he's most likely dealing with an unreported injury or illness. Manager Dave Roberts should provide more clarity on the situation later Tuesday, but Austin Barnes will pick up another start in place of Smith.

Narvaez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Narvaez is getting a routine breather after he played all nine innings behind the plate in losses Sunday in Atlanta and Monday in Cincinnati. Victor Caratini will serve as the Brewers' starting catcher in place of Narvaez on Tuesday.