MLB Player News

Mesoraco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Mesoraco and Kevin Plawecki have alternated starts behind the plate over the last six games, and that timeshare seems likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future. While Mesoraco probably offers more appeal of the two from a fantasy standpoint thanks to his superior power, his checkered medical history probably makes the Mets reluctant to hand him a heavy workload at any point this season.

Murphy will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Rangers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy earned his way back to the big leagues after bashing 32 extra-base hits in 209 plate appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque and has continued his offensive surge with Colorado. He has already collected six hits -- two of which were doubles -- in 16 at-bats through four starts. Murphy will be behind the plate for the fourth time in six contests Sunday and looks like he may act as the Rockies' No. 1 catcher so long as he keeps impressing at the dish.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's win over the Cardinals.

In 12 games this month, Contreras is batting a solid .308 with a .400 on-base percentage. However, he has just one extra-base hit and no home runs so far in June. If the young catcher keeps making good contact at the plate, expect those numbers to climb as the month progresses.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

It's little more than a routine maintenance day for Barnhart after he was behind the plate for the first two games of the series. Curt Casali will serve as the Reds' catcher Sunday and bat seventh in the lineup.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's win over the Reds.

Diaz took Luis Castillo deep in the fourth inning to put the Pirates up 3-1, marking his second home run of the month and fifth of season. While Francisco Cervelli is locked in as the team's primary backstop, Diaz continues to produce in his limited opportunities, posting a .304/.350/.500 line through 34 games.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI in Saturday's win over the Orioles.

Realmuto tormented Orioles starter Alex Cobb, producing an RBI single off the right-hander in the first inning before taking Cobb deep in the third (two-run) and sixth (solo) innings. The 27-year-old is now hitting an impressive .309/.371/.546 with nine homers, 26 RBI and 32 runs on the season, putting him near the top of every major hitting category among catchers.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

Grandal is only 7-for-38 since the start of June and will head to the bench as San Francisco sends Madison Bumgarner to the mound Saturday. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Dodgers.

Smith has gone 9-for-36 with two home runs, four RBI, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 11 games since returning from the 7-day disabled list.

After a four-week stint on the DL, Smith returned June 3 and has since hit .250/.372/.444 -- numbers pretty well in line with his season stats (.254/.345/.446). The 32nd overall pick in 2016, Smith has made 15 starts behind the plate this year and 14 at third base.

Hedges (elbow), who is in the midst of a rehab assignment at High-A Lake Elsinore, could be activated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of the Padres' two-game set against the Athletics that begins Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

After being pulled off his rehab assignment three weeks earlier when he experienced a hyperextension of his elbow, Hedges was cleared to return to game action in the minors Tuesday. The 25-year-old has played each of the last three days for the affiliate, culminating in him catching seven innings and going 2-for-2 at the dish Thursday. Hedges will likely need to log a full game behind the plate some point over the weekend before being reinstated from the DL, at which point he would presumably reclaim primary catching duties for the big club. Prior to landing on the DL, Hedges was hitting .173/.235/.293 while striking out in 37 percent of his plate appearances.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Thursday against the Giants, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

With the Marlins playing a day game after a night game, Realmuto will receive a breather following six consecutive starts behind the plate. Bryan Holaday will relieve Realmuto at catcher and bat eighth in the series finale.