MLB Player News

Rushing will undergo a hybrid internal brace procedure on his right elbow Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rushing was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in early August, which kept him from catching and limited him to just 11 plate appearances in the final two months of the regular season. The surgery will prevent him from catching on a full-time basis for nine months, a timeline that stretches into the second half of next season. Rushing will be able to hit well before then, but it's unclear whether the Dodgers would consider carrying him on their active roster only as a hitter, especially with the designated hitter slot already filled by Shohei Ohtani. Rushing slashed .246/.328/.460 with 12 home runs in 80 contests for the Dodgers this season.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that he's informed Realmuto the catcher will receive more days off in 2027, Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic report.

He made 122 starts behind the plate in 2026 in his age-35 season. However, his downward trend offensively continued, as Realmuto slashed only .205/.283/.331 with 11 home runs across 467 plate appearances. Dombrowski didn't rule out acquiring an upgrade at backup catcher this offseason, which could allow manager Don Mattingly more confidence in giving Realmuto extra rest.

Smith will start at catcher and bat seventh Wednesday in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers.

Smith has really been scuffling this postseason, going 1-for-23 with a 1:8 BB:K. As a result, he's been demoted to the bottom-third of the Dodgers lineup.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and two additional RBI in Monday's win against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS.

The 28-year-old continues to wield a hot bat this postseason, as he's batting .391 (9-for-23) with four walks, three homers, five RBI and four runs through six games. Contreras has entrenched himself as the Brewers' No. 3 hitter and has been the engine of the offense thus far in October.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a walk, a solo homer and an additional run scored in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres on Tuesday.

The All-Star catcher did his part to try and eliminate the Friars with a three-hit showing, including a fourth-inning solo home run to start the scoring for Milwaukee. It's been a productive start to the playoffs for Contreras, who has gone 4-for-11 with two walks and two homers through three games. He should be back behind the plate again Wednesday as the Brewers look to punch their ticket to the NLCS.

Campusano is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS versus the Brewers.

Campusano started at designated hitter in Game 1 and at catcher in Game 2, reaching base twice in both contests. However, he will begin Tuesday's festivities on the bench. The Padres will roll out Ethan Salas at catcher and Gavin Sheets at DH as they try to stave off elimination.

Murphy was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Murphy had been slated to start at designated hitter, but Atlanta has opted to shift Ronald Acuna to DH as he deals with some knee soreness. Lane Thomas will enter the lineup in Murphy's place, playing right field.

Salas was scratched from the lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Brewers on Sunday as a manager's decision.

The rookie backstop was initially penciled in to serve as the designated hitter Sunday after starting behind the plate in Game 1 and going 1-for-3 with a run scored, but manager Craig Stammen has instead elected to start Gavin Sheets. Salas is healthy and will be available off the bench.

Murphy is not in the lineup Thursday for Game 3 of the wild-card series against the Phillies.

Murphy started Game 2 for Atlanta, but he didn't play Game 1 and will begin Game 3 on the bench. Drake Baldwin will do the catching, and Dominic Smith is getting a start at designated hitter.

The Padres recalled Duran from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm strain.

The transaction was made in order to free a spot on the 40-man roster for Joe Musgrove (elbow), who was activated from the 60-day IL. Duran should recover from his forearm injury well ahead of spring training.