MLB Player News

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

Diaz will receive a breather after he had started behind the plate in the first two contests of the series. Jacob Stallings will handle catching duties Sunday for the Rockies.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith started the previous four games but will receive Sunday off in the midst of a 3-for-32 slump. Austin Barnes will step in behind the plate to catch for righty River Ryan.

Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Caratini's playing time had been trending up while the Astros had shown more of a willingness to play Yordan Alvarez in left field of late, but the former now finds himself on the bench for the second day in a row. Assuming Alvarez gets the bulk of his starts at DH moving forward, Yainer Diaz will continue to serve as the Astros' top backstop, which closes off Caratini's path to steady starts.

Jeffers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Jeffers will take a seat for the series finale as he and Christian Vazquez continue to alternate turns behind the dish. Neither of the two backstops has made consecutive starts at catcher since the All-Star break.

Rogers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Rogers had started behind the plate in the previous two contests, but he'll hit the bench for the series finale with Kansas City while Dillon Dingler handles catching duties. The two backstops could be deployed in a timeshare until one clearly separates himself from the other as the preferred option.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Naylor has a .626 OPS in 10 games since the All-Star break and will take a seat for Sunday's matchup with Baltimore. Austin Hedges will step behind the plate to catch for right-hander Gavin Williams.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

After a recent one-game absence due to a wrist injury, Moreno stepped back in behind the dish for the first two contests of the series in Pittsburgh, going 2-for-8 with a walk, a stolen base and a run. He'll get a breather for Sunday's finale while Jose Herrera handles catching duties.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Atlanta.

Fortes and Ali Sanchez have now alternated turns behind the plate over the Marlins' last eight games, with both backstops getting four starts apiece. Since the All-Star break, Fortes has posted a .902 OPS compared to Sanchez's .063 mark during that same stretch, so Fortes should still be viewed as the Marlins' preferred option at catcher.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Stephenson had started at either catcher or designated hitter in each of the Reds' last 10 games, so he'll be getting a well-deserved day off while Cincinnati and San Francisco wrap up their series with a game that begins at 12:05 p.m. ET. Luke Maile will check in behind the dish in place of Stephenson, who ended a 10-game streak without an extra-base hit by slugging two home runs in Saturday's 6-4 win.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Red Sox.

Heim, who was held out of the starting lineup the last two games, was back in action Saturday and launched a three-run home run in the fourth inning to wipe out Boston's early 3-0 lead. He's batting just .190 (8-for-42) over 12 games since the All-Star break, but Heim has delivered a few key hits during that stretch, knocking in 10 runs.