MLB Player News

Manager Dave Roberts said Smith (neck) is expected to rejoin the Dodgers when MLB rosters expand Tuesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The veteran catcher started up a rehab assignment Aug. 25 and has gone 3-for-13 with two doubles and a homer through four rehab games. Smith has been out since early June due to a neck injury, but it appears he's ready to rejoin the Dodgers for the final month of the season. Before landing on the injured list the 31-year-old was in the midst of an underwhelming campaign with what would be a career-worst .720 OPS in 52 contests.

Conteras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

It's likely just a maintenance day for Contreras, who batted a blistering .455 (15-for-33) with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI and five runs while starting the previous eight contests. Gary Sanchez is working behind the plate and batting sixth in the series finale versus Texas.

Mack is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Nationals.

Mack has struggled at the plate in his last 15 games, slashing just .200/.265/.289 over 49 plate appearances. The 23-year-old will get a breather for the third game of a four-game set against Washington, with Brian Navarreto handling catching duties and batting ninth for Miami.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Saturday against the Cardinals.

Flores gave the Pirates some breathing room when he went yard in the fifth inning of Saturday's win. He's been in roughly a 50-50 split for playing time behind the plate with Henry Davis over the last three weeks, while also picking up a handful of starts at first base. Flores has shown a boom-or-bust profile in that span, tallying six home runs with 15 RBI and nine runs scored across 15 games while also striking out at a 36.4 percent clip.

The Phillies plan to reinstate Marchan (knee) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Active rosters expand to 28 players at the start of September, and the Phillies plan to reinstate the switch-hitting Marchan to provide the club with a third option at catcher along with J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs. Marchan, who's recovering from patellar tendinitis in left knee, is batting .206 with one RBI, five walks and three runs scored in 10 games thus far during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Kelly went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, a double, a walk and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 17-5 win over the Reds.

Kelly was outshined by Pete Crow-Armstrong's three-homer, six-RBI performance, but he still enjoyed a massive day at the dish in his own right. The veteran backstop amassed at least four RBI for the third time this season. He's on the verge of surpassing last season's career high of 50 RBI, as Kelly's slashing .260/.343/.386 with nine big flies, 49 RBI and 49 runs scored over 359 plate appearances.

Cavanaugh is not in the Giants' starting lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.

Cavanaugh got the start in the first game, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in a 7-1 loss to Arizona. He'll be on the bench for Game 2 while Andrew Knizner starts behind home plate and bats sixth while forming a battery with Yunior Marte, the latter of whom is making his major-league debut.

Moreno is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Giants.

Moreno went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Game 1, a 7-1 win for Arizona. He'll be idle for the second game of the twin bill, with James McCann starting behind home plate and batting seventh.

Murphy isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.

Murphy has collected five hits, two RBI and three runs scored over his last two games, but Atlanta will keep him in the dugout to begin Saturday's contest. Drake Baldwin will handle catching duties, and Dominic Smith will work as the designated hitter.

Ford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Marlins.

He took Patrick Monteverde deep to lead off the seventh inning, Ford's third homer in 23 big-league games this season. While he's flashing some power, Ford isn't doing much else at the plate. Through 48 plate appearances in August, he's compiled a .209/.292/.442 slash line with four doubles, two home runs, four RBI and seven runs.