MLB Player News

Realmuto is out of the lineup against St. Louis on Thursday, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto will get a standard day off after starting the past eight games, including going 3-for-4 with three extra-base hits during Wednesday's tilt. In his place, Bryan Holaday will catch Trevor Richards and bat eighth.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against Colorado, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barnhart will receive a typical day off for maintenance purposes following three straight starts behind the plate. In his place, Curt Casali will catch Tyler Mahle and bat sixth.

Grandal is out of the lineup against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Andy McCullough of The Los Angeles Times reports.

Grandal will get a typical breather after starting the past three games. In his stead, Austin Barnes will catch and bat eighth in the order.

Hedges (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment in the near future after traveling with the Padres on Friday as the team begins a 10-game road trip, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges has been out since the end of April due to right elbow tendinitis. He previously played in two rehab games with Triple-A El Paso a couple weeks ago but suffered a setback and required a little more time off. It appears as though he's on track for activation at some point next week, assuming that he rejoins the Chihuahuas around the end of this weekend or by the start of next week.

Hedges (elbow) completed batting practice Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Now that the backstop has resumed throwing and hitting, he could soon be ready for minor-league rehab action after being pulled off his previous assignment at Triple-A El Paso in late May when he incurred a setback. Hedges has been on the 10-day disabled list for more than a month due to right elbow tendinitis, paving the way for Raffy Lopez to serve as the Padres' primary catcher.

Mesoraco (hamstring) is not in the lineup against Baltimore on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Mesoraco will sit for the third straight contest after experiencing tightness in his hamstring following Sunday's game. He will have an extra day to recover with the Mets receiving a scheduled off day Thursday before hosting the Yankees. Kevin Plawecki will catch and bat sixth Wednesday.

Mesoraco (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Mesoraco will remain sidelined for Tuesday's series opener as he continues to deal with hamstring tightness. He should be considered day-to-day. Kevin Plawecki is starting behind the dish Tuesday.

Knizner is slashing .333/.381/.436 with four doubles and four RBI over his first 43 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis.

Knizner had received a callup to the Redbirds in mid-May after Yadier Molina and Carson Kelly both went down with injuries at the big-league level. He's subsequently proven worthy of the promotion on his own merits. The young backstop has exceeded the impressive .324 average he'd generated with Double-A Springfield, and he's come within striking distance of the .412 on-base percentage and .467 slugging percentage that made up the remainder of his line. Knizner has been impressive with the bat at every professional stop thus far, and even though Molina presently blocks his path to the big leagues, it isn't inconceivable that he could eventually surpass Kelly as the veteran's heir apparent.

Kelly was sent down to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

With Yadier Molina expected to return from injury Tuesday, the Cardinals were expected to make a move. Kelly made the most sense, as he's struggled mightily at the plate through 12 games, recording just two hits in 25 at-bats and striking out six times.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a run scored during Sunday's victory over the Mets.

Contreras was driven in by Ben Zobrist during the seventh inning to provide a key insurance run. The Cubs' backstop has reached base in each of the last eight games and finished the month of May hitting .273 with three home runs and 14 RBI.