MLB Player News

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Barnhart's Gold Glove-caliber defense hasn't been enough to keep him in the lineup lately, as he'll sit for the third time in four games. Over 122 plate appearances, Barnhart is batting a career-low .163 while striking out 25.4 percent of the time, a seven-point increase from his 2018 mark. Curt Casali will once again replace Barnhart behind the plate.

Diaz collected three hits, including an RBI single, in a 7-2 win over the Padres on Saturday.

The big game lifted his batting average over the .200 mark (.204) for the first time in 2019. Diaz started his third straight game Saturday. Given his improved recent play -- he's 5-for-12 with a walk since Thursday -- the catcher could move into a timeshare with starter Francisco Cervelli in a setup similar to 2018. Diaz is still looking for his first home run after hitting 10 homers last season.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Astros.

The 28-year-old catcher continues to rake in May. Vazquez is now hitting .457 (16-for-35) through 11 games on the month with three doubles and two homers, and his six long balls on the year is already a new career high. The hot streak has boosted his slash line on the season to a shocking .309/.358/.536.

Jansen is out of Saturday's lineup against the White Sox.

He will head to the bench a day after hitting his first home run of the season. Luke Maile will start behind the dish and hit ninth.

Maile is starting at catcher and hitting ninth Saturday against the White Sox.

He was scratched from Friday's lineup for an unknown reason, but he's back in the mix a day later. This is only Maile's sixth start this month and he has two hits in 15 at-bats over that stretch.

Vazquez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and knocked in Boston's lone run in a 3-1 loss to Houston on Friday.

Quietly, Vazquez has raised his season average to .311 after a nine-game run that's seen him go 16-for-28 (.571) and raised his batting average 93 points since May 2. It seems impossible that Friday's RBI is the only run he's driven in during that stretch.

Bart (hand) is about 10 days from getting into an extended spring training game, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Bart fractured his left hand in mid-April, but he's been progressing nicely and should return to game action in just over a week. The Giants are unlikely to rush one of their top prospects back before he's ready, so don't be surprised if they exercise caution with the backstop.

Jansen went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 10-2 rout of the White Sox.

It took him 32 games, but Jansen finally has his first homer of 2019. The 24-year-old snapped a 1-for-24 slump with Friday's performance, but he's still dragging a .173/.261/.245 slash line on the year, and even in deep two-catcher leagues he's a long way from fantasy relevance.

Contreras went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run and a walk Friday night against the Nationals.

Contreras joined the party in the ninth inning with a two-run blast to right center, extending Chicago's lead to 10. The 27-year-old leads National League catchers with 11 homers, and he's driven in 29 through 39 games this season.

Stallings (neck) ended his rehab assignment and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stallings completed his rehab assignment and went unclaimed on the waiver wire before being sent to the minors. Geoff Hartlieb was added to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.