MLB Player News

Contreras went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, an RBI and two runs in a victory over the Reds on Thursday.

Contreras reached base five times in the win, tying his career high with four hits. The offensive display continued a strong month for the backstop, who is hitting .457 (16-for-35) with 10 runs scored and eight RBI in September.

Smith went 4-for-4 with a double during Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Smith set a new career high by tallying four hits in a single game, including a double in the fourth inning against Madison Bumgarner. The 25-year-old backstop improved his batting line to .279/.425/.603 with six home runs and four doubles on the year.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two RBI in Thursday's loss to Miami.

Realmuto kicked off the scoring in the contest with a run-scoring groundout in the first inning and contributed a solo homer in the fifth. The long ball was his 11th of the season, tops among MLB catchers. He also ranks first among backstops with 29 RBI while slashing .266/.354/.547.

Caratini is not in Thursday's lineup against the Reds.

While Caratini still figures to get a decent amount of starts at designated hitter and catcher now that Jose Martinez was optioned to South Bend, he will sit in favor of David Bote in this one. Caratini is also slumping, hitting .121 with zero extra-base hits over his last 33 at-bats.

Perez isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Royals.

Perez will take a seat Thursday for the fourth time in the past seven games. Cleveland currently has three catchers on the active roster, so Perez could continue to see inconsistent playing time going forward.

D'Arnaud is not in Thursday's lineup against the Nationals.

He is hitting .297/.381/.541 with three home runs over his last 10 games. Tyler Flowers will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

Perez is not in Thursday's lineup against the Red Sox.

Perez only starts against right-handed pitchers, so it stands that he would head to the bench with southpaw Mike Kickham starting for Boston. Kevan Smith will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Barnhart is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cubs.

He is hitting .179 with 10 strikeouts and two home runs over his last 10 games. Rookie Tyler Stephenson will get his first big-league start and second MLB appearance at catcher while hitting seventh.

Thaiss will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and will bat second Thursday against the Rangers, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Thaiss will pick up his third straight start after assignments at second base Tuesday and in left field Wednesday. With David Fletcher (ankle) and Franklin Barreto (shoulder) on the shelf, the keystone likely represents Thaiss' most realistic path to consistent action in the short term. The lefty-hitting Thaiss could occupy the larger side of a platoon at the position with the switch-hitting Luis Rengifo.

Murphy is not in Thursday's lineup against the Astros.

Murphy has a .214/.353/.429 slash line with two home runs, four runs and five RBI over his last 10 starts. Jonah Heim will start behind the dish and bat ninth.