MLB Player News

Grandal is out of Saturday's lineup against the Nationals, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal, who is hitting .029/.171/.118 in 34 at-bats this month, continues to lose out on playing time amid this brutal slump. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit seventh, and it would seem like there will be a pretty even timeshare at catcher going forward.

D'Arnaud (knee) is not in the lineup against the Braves.

D'Arnaud will get the night off after exiting Thursday's contest with a twisted right knee. The catcher remains day-to-day for the time being, while Kevin Plawecki handles the duties behind the plate for Friday's series opener.

Contreras was ejected in the top of the fifth inning Friday against the Cardinals and likely faces a suspension after he bounced his face mask and it hit home plate umpire Jordan Baker on the leg.

Contreras and starter John Lackey were ejected after they caused a scene following a missed strike three call that eventually led to an RBI single from Carlos Martinez. Baker obviously missed the call, but the reaction from Contreras, specifically his equipment bouncing and hitting the umpire, will likely lead to a short suspension. He was 1-for-2 with a strikeout before getting tossed. Contreras could appeal any suspension, so it is unclear when his owners may be without him.

D'Arnaud left Thursday's game against the Cubs with a twisted right knee, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

D'Arnaud was able to remain in the game until the fifth frame after being injured in the second inning, but he was not able to complete Thursday's contest. It remains to be seen if the setback will cost d'Arnaud any further action moving forward.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Contreras will get the day off after starting the first two games of the series as the Cubs ease him back from a hamstring injury. He's 2-for-5 with four walks since returning from the disabled list. Taylor Davis will draw a start behind the dish in his stead.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Twins.

It was Hedges' 17th homer of the season, but his first since Aug. 22. The 24-year-old is batting just .211 this season, due in large part to a 28.9 percent strikeout rate, but his plus power has been enough to keep him viable at the shallow fantasy position of catcher.

Barnes got the nod behind the dish Wednesday, going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks in a 4-1 win over the Giants.

The 27-year-old has been on the short side of a catching platoon with Yasmani Grandal this year, but the latter's recent struggles at the plate could lead to more playing time for Barnes down the stretch, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Manager Dave Roberts mentioned that he wants to see Grandal snap out of his current funk, but he added that he would play the best option as the Dodgers approach the postseason. Barnes is slashing a healthy .294/.413/.471 in 225 plate appearances, so he already has value in plenty of formats, but would be an easy top-10 option at the position if he were getting the majority of starts behind the plate.

Rupp went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in an 8-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.

Rupp has made just five starts in September and his playing time is going to continue to be limited with the Phillies looking to get Jorge Alfaro at-bats as they evaluate him with an eye toward next season. Rupp is a candidate to be traded this offseason with Alfaro and Andrew Knapp expected to split catching duties next season.

Grandal is out of Wednesday's lineup agains the Giants, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

He is hitting just .033/.189/.133 with one home run and 16 strikeouts in 30 September at-bats. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit sixth.

Realmuto is out of the lineup against the Phillies on Wednesday.

Realmuto retreats to the bench following eight straight starts, including a two-hit game with a pair of doubles during Tuesday's loss. In his place, AJ Ellis will handle the catching duties.