MLB Player News

The Cubs designated Barnhart for assignment Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Barnhart already wasn't receiving much playing time as the third catcher on the Cubs' depth chart, and now he'll lose his spot on Chicago's 40-man roster. The 32-year-old backstop has slashed .202/.285/.257 through 123 plate appearances this season. Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

O'Hoppe went 0-for-5 in a loss to the Rays on Friday.

O'Hoppe made a quicker-than-expected return to the majors Friday following a stay on the 60-day injured list due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The 23-year-old showed some rust with the hitless performance, though that shouldn't prevent him from working as the Angels' primary catcher moving forward. The team designated Chad Wallach for assignment upon O'Hoppe's return, and backup backstop Matt Thaiss has struggled thus far in August, going 4-for-31 at the plate.

Higashioka finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games Saturday against the Red Sox.

Higashioka has started just two of the last six games, though that follows a stretch in which he started three straight. His .230/.267/.378 slash line isn't exactly starting catcher material, so he'll likely continue to split time with Ben Rortvedt down the stretch with Jose Trevino (wrist) done for the year.

Stallings went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Dodgers.

Stallings had one of the Marlins' three homers in a six-run third inning. Entering Friday, Stallings was 0-for-17 in August, though he's still maintained an edge over Nick Fortes for playing time. Stallings is now at a .186/.285/.263 slash line with two homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored and seven doubles through 195 plate appearances this year.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with one double, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory over the Rangers.

Contreras' third-inning double put the Brewers on the board. He entered the game mired in a 4-for-29 slump, while the Brewers entered the contest coming off a three-game sweep against the Dodgers in which they'd only scored three runs. However, Contreras and the rest of his teammates broke out of their funk with nine runs and 14 hits in the winning effort.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Friday's 9-4 win over the Athletics.

Rutschman recently endured a 1-for-21 skid, but he's collected five hits over his last two games to get back on track. The catcher is slashing .272/.367/.430 with 16 home runs, 58 RBI, 61 runs scored, 21 doubles and a triple over 117 contests. He's been hitting out of the leadoff spot lately, even with speedier options like Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson available.

Garver went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Friday's 9-8 loss against the Brewers.

Garver's fourth-inning home run was his ninth of the season. He handled the starting role behind the plate while Jonah Heim spent more than two weeks on the shelf with a wrist injury, and Garver is continuing to see a consistent role as the Rangers ease Heim back into the lineup. Garver has rewarded the Rangers by hitting safely in all but two of his last 17 starts with an on-base percentage of .458, four home runs and 12 RBI during that stretch.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a steal in Friday's victory against the White Sox.

Diaz went deep during Colorado's five-run first inning and later nabbed his first stolen base of the season. He entered Friday's contest in a 4-for-38 (.105) skid since his last multi-hit game Aug. 4. Since the All-Star break, Diaz has gone 22-for-97 (.226), but he's still slashing .264/.317/.416 through 108 games.

Rogers is absent from the lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader in Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Rogers cranked a solo home run and added a single in the first game, but even with that big performance he was never going to catch both ends of a doubleheader. Eric Haase will be behind the dish for Joey Wentz.

Jeffers was scratched from the lineup Friday due to back soreness, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Christian Vazquez will instead start at catcher and bat eighth for the Twins as they open a three-game weekend series versus Pittsburgh. Jeffers boasts a .328/.430/.597 slash line in 20 games (80 plate appearances) since the All-Star break and should be considered day-to-day.