MLB Player News

Wells (finger) will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's contest in Toronto.

Wells missed the previous four starts while recovering from artery damage in his left index finger, although he did appear as a pinch runner in Wednesday's game. The 25-year-old has struggled at the plate lately, slashing only .159/.191/.205 across his last 14 contests.

Baldwin is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Baldwin started the first game of the series Monday but has now sat out each of the next two contests in favor of Sean Murphy. Murphy has started over Baldwin in four of the last five tilts, although Atlanta is facing a righty in Jose Soriano on Thursday for the first time during that span.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz will receive a breather for the series finale in Colorado after he had started in each of the Astros' last six games, with five of those starts coming behind the dish. Victor Caratini will handle catching duties Thursday for the Astros.

Winkel (wrist) has gone 1-for-10 with four strikeouts in three games for Triple-A St. Paul since being activated from the 7-day injured list June 25.

Winkel was on the shelf for three weeks due to a right wrist tendon injury. The 25-year-old catcher is slashing .256/.293/.500 with five home runs in 82 plate appearances for St. Paul on the season.

Goodman is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Goodman started at catcher in both of the first two games of the series, but he will get some rest during Thursday's matinee. Austin Nola will step in behind the plate and bat eighth in what will be his Rockies debut.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

Jeffers will be rested for Thursday's matinee after he went 0-for-3 while catching all nine innings of the Twins' 2-1 win Wednesday night. Christian Vazquez will get the nod behind the plate in the series finale, forming a battery with starting pitcher David Festa.

Quero went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI on Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Quero's playing time has started to slip, as he's gone from playing every other day to once every three days since late June. That coincides with a slump at the plate, as he entered Wednesday's game having gone just 1-for-18 across his last seven games. He managed to turn in a productive performance Wednesday, with his RBI coming on a single in the third inning.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Padres.

The veteran catcher was rested for the nightcap. Realmuto has been racking up hits over the last month, batting .333 (23-for-69) since June 9, but his last home run came back on May 21 -- and that was at Coors Field. On the season, he's slashing .252/.316/.365 with five homers, five steals, 28 RBI and 32 runs in 71 contests.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Wednesday's 5-4 win over the White Sox.

Smith clubbed a two-out, solo homer off Brandon Eisert in the first inning, marking the catcher's 11th long ball of the campaign. He also drew a walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing Freddie Freeman to deliver a walk-off RBI single to cap off a three-run ninth frame. In his last 11 games, Smith is 12-for-35 (.343) with five home runs and a 6:8 BB:K.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Angels.

Murphy struck out in his other three plate appearances, but he made his one hit count as he took the first pitch of the at-bat from Ryan Zeferjahn deep to left-center field for a three-run homer in the sixth. Murphy has a home run in each of his last three starts, and his 12 home runs this season is tied with Shea Langeliers for fourth most among major-league catchers.