MLB Player News

Casali is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians.

Casali started behind the dish in each of the Reds' last three games, going hitless with four strikeouts in eight at-bats. He'll cede catching duties to Kyle Farmer on Sunday as the Reds and Indians wrap up their first-half schedules.

Nido went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

His bases-loaded double in the fifth inning proved to be the game-winning hit for the Mets. Nido's picked up two hits in three of his last four starts and is slashing .333/.357/.481 over his last seven games, but that's a span that stretches all the way back to June 18 as he remains behind Wilson Ramos on the depth chart.

Smith (oblique) has been activated from the 7-day injured list, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old backstop rejoined Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, going 1-for-1 with an RBI. Manager Dave Roberts said he wants to give Smith regular at-bats he might not see with the big club, which could keep him in Triple-A for the moment. However, he's been tearing up the Pacific Coast League and has fared well in his brief stints at the big-league level this season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get called back up at some point.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with a walkoff home run, two RBI and two runs in a 4-3 victory over the Yankees on Saturday.

The catcher's power surge continued Saturday, as he now has six homers in 153 plate appearances this season. D'Arnaud started the year 2-for-24, but since joining the Rays he's batting .254 with 11 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and 18 runs in 114 at-bats.

Perez went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer in a 7-2 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Perez's home run in the eighth inning provided the Indians with a 4-2 lead, and they tacked on a few insurance runs in the following frame for good measure. The 30-year-old went into Wednesday's game in 4-for-24 slump with 13 strikeouts, but he has six hits -- including two homers and a triple -- in his last two contests.

Barnes is not starting Saturday against San Diego.

Barnes has a hit in each of his last three games, following a stretch in which he went hitless for eight straight. Russell Martin takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Gomes is not in the lineup Saturday against the Royals.

Gomes and Kurt Suzuki have settled into a fairly even split behind the plate in Washington, with Suzuki starting nine of the last 16 games. Suzuki's .270/.314/.503 slash line easily outpaces Gomes' .209/.303/.302, so it's hard to see Gomes' role increasing in the near future.

Garver went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, three runs scored and a walk in Friday's 15-6 win over the Rangers.

Garver notched back-to-back multi-hit games by leading off the second inning with a double before launching a solo home run to right-center in the seventh in what was an offensive onslaught from the league's top offense. As one of four Twins to reach base three times in the contest, the 28-year-old now has two home runs, seven hits, seven RBI and six runs scored in his past five games. Since returning from a heel injury in late June, the catcher's main competition for playing time has been teammate Jason Castro, the left-handed bat who steals starts against right-handed pitching. Garver owns an impressive 1.230 OPS against left-handed pitching this season and also has been slashing .359/.405/.718 on the road. Despite the occasional rest, Garver is still producing top-tier fantasy value at the catcher position, featuring a .291 batting average with 13 home runs, 35 RBI and 33 runs scored.

Murphy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Athletics.

The catcher is up to nine homers and 19 RBI in 35 games this season. Murphy has a .269/.296/.538 line over 119 at-bats. The two-hit effort snapped a 3-for-26 skid over his previous seven games.

Narvaez is not in the lineup Friday against Oakland, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Narvaez has gone 4-for-23 at the plate over his last seven games since his nine-game hitting streak ended. Tom Murphy gets the call behind the plate in his absence.