MLB Player News

Plawecki is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Now that Devin Mesoraco has recovered from a hamstring injury that briefly sidelined him, he'll step in behind the plate for the second time in three games. Mesoraco's sketchy track record on the health front the last few seasons likely means he won't be asked to handle a full workload at catcher, so Plawecki should still see his fair share of action in the timeshare. While he lacks Mesoraco's power upside, Plawecki's impressive plate discipline -- he sports a 19.0 BB% for the season -- gives him increased utility in leagues that count on-base percentage rather than batting average as a category.

Grandal is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Grandal will retreat to the bench for a day of rest following three consecutive starts behind the plate in which he went a combined 2-for-13 with two homers and six strikeouts. Austin Barnes draws the start in his stead.

Stallings was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Stallings will give the Pirates additional catching depth following Francisco Cervelli's removal from Saturday's contest with an apparent jaw injury. Stallings was slashing .294/.341/.399 in 40 games played with Indianapolis.

Contreras is not in the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

Contreras will retreat to the bench after making consecutive starts over the past two days, going 3-for-8 with two strikeouts. Chris Gimenez draws the start in his stead.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs to help the Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Braves on Friday.

Grandal had been slumping coming into this contest with just three hits in June, but he broke out with this multi-homer effort that bumped him up to 11 long balls on the season. His batting average was bound to come down to earth eventually, but even if he stays around the .249 mark he's currently posting throughout the season, Grandal's power-hitting abilities and career .339 on-base percentage suggest he'll remain a fantasy asset at a shallow position.

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Plawecki started the last four games -- including one start at first base -- and went 3-for-16 with six strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. Devin Mesoraco was nursing a hamstring injury most of the week, but returns to the lineup Friday to give Plawecki the night off.

Mesoraco (hamstring) is starting at catcher and batting fifth against the Yankees on Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mesoraco experienced tightness in his hamstring following Sunday's game against the Cubs and had not returned to the lineup all week. The 29-year-old has a .218/.301/.436 slash line in 101 at-bats this season. Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound for the Yankees on Friday.

Diaz clubbed a three-run home run Thursday and finished the day 1-for-4 with four RBI against the Dodgers.

Diaz's three-run blast off of Brock Stewart brought the Pirates within two runs of the visiting Dodgers and marked his fourth home run of the season. He plays sparingly behind Francisco Cervelli, but Diaz manages to produce when given the opportunity. He was slashing .286/.342/.443 over 70 at-bats entering Thursday.

Grandal went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

Thursday's tough outing dropped Grandal's slash line to .243/.341/.442 on the year. Grandal is just 3-for-15 in June with six strikeouts. He has had success against right-handed pitching, however, which bodes well for his chances to turn things around over the weekend with the Dodgers facing right-handers Friday and Saturday in Atlanta.

Contreras is out of the lineup versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

Contreras will get a breather during the series finale after starting the past four games, including a two-hit showing in Wednesday's victory. In his place, Chris Gimenez will catch Tyler Chatwood and bat eighth in the order.