MLB Player News

Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Tuesday's win over Philadelphia.

The backstop went yard for the third time over his last five games, and in fact, three of his last four hits have cleared the fences. On the surface, his overall numbers might remain underwhelming since he's just hitting .220, but he owns a decent .809 OPS and has a realistic shot at posting the third 30-homer season of his career if he keeps seeing the ball as well as he's been seeing it of late.

Nido will start at catcher and bat seventh Wednesday against the Reds, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Nido will pick up his third start in four games after going 3-for-8 with a double and two runs. James McCann -- who is getting a breather Wednesday -- still sits atop the depth chart and is expected to receive the bulk of the starts behind the plate moving forward, despite Nido's recent spike in playing time.

McCann isn't starting Wednesday against the Reds, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McCann will get a day off after he went 4-for-7 with a home run, three RBI and two runs across the last two games. Tomas Nido will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

Caratini is out of the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with Atlanta.

Webster Rivas will catch Chris Paddack in the opening game, but Caratini should be behind the dish for the nightcap, when the newly recalled Reiss Knehr makes his second start of the season. Caratini, who is holding down a .658 OPS on the season, will likely shift back to the No. 2 catcher role in the coming days with Austin Nola (knee) closing in on a return from the 10-day injured list.

Atlanta reinstated Jackson (hamstring) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Though Travis d'Arnaud (thumb) is expected to remain sidelined through mid-August, Jackson wasn't needed to provide catching depth at the big-league level with Atlanta having acquired a pair of veteran backstops (Stephen Vogt and Kevan Smith) while the 25-year-old was on the shelf. Jackson will likely share time behind the plate at Gwinnett with William Contreras, who was demoted shortly before the All-Star break after struggling at the dish during his time as Atlanta's No. 1 catcher. Jackson enjoyed a productive rehab assignment at Triple-A, going 17-for-60 (.283 average) with four home runs, seven doubles and 15 RBI in 14 games.

Mejia went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, two runs scored and five RBI in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Orioles.

The catcher launched a two-run shot off John Means in the fourth inning, then added some insurance with a bases-loaded triple in the eighth off Shaun Anderson. Mejia's outburst was either shocking or long overdue, depending on your perspective -- he hadn't gone yard since May 23 and hadn't even collected an RBI since June 22. On the season, he's slashing .255/.317/.416 with four homers and 19 RBI through 50 games.

Smith drilled a walkoff three-run home run in his only at-bat against the Giants on Tuesday.

The backstop got a scheduled breather Tuesday, as Austin Barnes started the contest behind the plate for Los Angeles. However, Smith was summoned to pinch hit with two runners on base and the Dodgers down a run in the ninth inning. After looking at a strike on Tyler Rogers' first pitch, Smith sent the following offering 419 feet over the left-field wall to give the Dodgers the big win. Smith has been one of the best offensive catchers in baseball this season with a .264/.369/.475 slash line, 12 home runs and 42 RBI. Over his past four games, he has gone 6-for-12 with two homers and 10 RBI.

Haase went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.

Haase led off the fifth inning with a solo shot off Dane Dunning. The homer marks his first since July 8 and just his second hit since coming back from the All-Star break. Still, the Detroit native is enjoying a career year, and his utility as either a catcher or left fielder makes him an interesting fantasy player.

Smith is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

After starting the past two contests, Smith will head to the bench for Tuesday's game. Austin Barnes will work behind the plate in his absence.

Kirk (hip) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Kirk began a rehab assignment with Buffalo in late June and has gone 11-for-45 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI. With Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen currently handling the big-league catching duties, Kirk will remain in Triple-A for the time being.