MLB Player News

Gallagher (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Gallagher was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with left side tightness, and further testing revealed the backstop is dealing with a strained oblique and will require a stint on the injured list. Nick Dini had his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move and should offer catching depth behind Meibrys Viloria while Gallagher is on the mend.

Casali (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Casali has been inactive since July 18 due to right knee soreness. A mid-August return is becoming more likely for the veteran backstop who is slashing .253/.337/.420 in 172 plate appearances. Tucker Barnhart will likely split playing time with Casali once the latter is activated.

Caratini is not in the lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Caratini has started all four games behind the dish since Willson Contreras went down with a hamstring injury, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's series opener as Jonathan Lucroy, who signed with the Cubs on Wednesday, gets his first start with Chicago. The 25-year-old Caratini owns a solid .265/.355/.462 triple-slash through 52 games with the Cubs this season, though he's hitting just .205 with a .697 OPS in 19 games since the All-Star break.

Bart was promoted to Double-A Richmond on Thursday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 22-year-old catcher hit .265/.315/.479 with 12 home runs in 251 plate appearances in the California League. Double-A will be a fair test for Bart, as he was a little old for High-A. He will clearly hit for power and will clearly stick at catcher, but the jury is still out on whether he will be capable of posting high batting averages and on-base percentages against MLB pitchers. If he fares well in the upper levels of the minors, Bart could make his big-league debut next summer.

Thaiss is not starting Thursday against the Red Sox.

Thaiss has started the past four games, going 0-for-12 with two walks and six strikeouts during that stretch. David Fletcher is starting at third base against lefty Chris Sale on Thursday.

Higashioka went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Wednesday's 14-2 win over the Orioles.

Higashioka had quite the coming-out party in the series finale, submitting his first multi-homer game while exceeding his combined RBI output (four) from his prior nine contests with the Yankees this season. The backstop has flashed some intriguing power both in the high minors and his limited time in the majors, but he probably won't get many more additional opportunities to showcase his skills. Gary Sanchez (groin) is on track to return from the injured list in a few days, and Higashioka is less likely than Austin Romine to stick around as the No. 2 catcher since he still has a minor-league option remaining.

Barnhart is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cubs.

Barnhart has started the past four games behind the dish and gone 5-for-14 with three home runs and a 3:1 BB:K. Kyle Farmer is starting at catcher and hitting eighth in place of Barnhart in this one.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run in a win over the Padres on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old backstop came home with the Mariners' first run of the game on Kyle Seager's groundout in the second inning. Murphy had been on base courtesy of his first triple of the season, the latest milestone in a solid offensive campaign. Murphy is now slashing .272/.300/.519 across 170 plate appearances, and 19 (eight doubles, one triple, 10 home runs) of his 44 hits have impressively gone for extra bases.

Ruiz was put on the seven-day IL at Triple-A Oklahoma City with a broken pinky, J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register reports.

Ruiz broke his finger when he was hit on the hand by a pitch on Saturday. The move is retroactive to Sunday, though the 21-year-old catcher figures to miss extended time with the significant injury. Ranked as the 36th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Ruiz hit .261 with six home runs and 34 RBI in 314 at-bats between Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City this season.

Barnes went 2-for-4 with a solo blast for the Oklahoma City Dodgers on Wednesday and has now homered in five straight games.

Barnes has responded well to his demotion to the minors, hitting .333 (11-for-33) with five homers and 11 runs batted in over eight games. With top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz potentially out for the season with a broken finger, Barnes figures to get the bulk of the starts with Oklahoma City. We may see him in the majors again this season, but Will Smith's emergence as an offensive force since joining the big club means that Barnes' days as the primary catcher for the Dodgers are likely numbered.