MLB Player News

The Pirates expect Diaz (leg) to be ready for the start of spring training, GM Neal Huntington said during his Sunday radio show.

After working through an elbow injury, Diaz came down with an unrelated cause of cellulitis on his leg. Although the catcher missed an opportunity for playing time in 2016, Huntington remains encouraged about his future, saying Diaz's arm strength is the best in the system and his offense is coming along. Given Francisco Cervelli's checkered history of spotty health, Diaz could easily work his way into the mix behind the plate.

Grandal (elbow) is not in the lineup Sunday against Arizona, Andy McCullough of the LA Times reports.

Grandal will sit for the second straight day as he continues to battle soreness in his right elbow, an ailment that's plagued him for much of the season. The expectation seems to be that Grandal will continue to play through the discomfort down the stretch, but he could require periodic rest.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies.

Realmuto had been behind the plate for six days in a row, so he's due for a day off in the series finale. Jeff Mathis will replace Realmuto behind the plate and bat seventh in the order.

Contreras is not in the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Contreras caught the last two games, going 3-for-8 with two doubles in that span, but he'll take the day off Sunday to rest now that the division title is already locked up. Miguel Montero will take over behind the plate in his stead.

Hernandez was recalled from Double-A Mobile on Saturday.

Hernandez will provide the Diamondbacks with an insurance policy behind the plate with Welington Castillo battling some quad tightness in recent days. The 23-year-old's offensive numbers fell off dramatically after he made the jump from High-A Visalia to Mobile, with his OPS falling nearly 260 points between levels.

Grandal is out of the lineup Saturday due to lingering soreness in his right elbow, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This is the first word of any arm troubles for Grandal since April, but manager Dave Roberts suggested this issue has been bothering Grandal for awhile. There has been no indication that Grandal won't be able to continue playing through the discomfort, but it seems the injury may be affecting his performance at the plate (.191 average this month).

Grandal is out of the lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Veteran Carlos Ruiz will take over behind the plate to catch for Brock Stewart, pushing Grandal to the bench following three straight starts. Grandal has smacked four homers in September and ranks second among catchers with 25 on the year, but he's hitting just .191 this month.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Friday against the Pirates.

He has started 10 of the last 13 games behind the dish for Cincinnati. Ramon Cabrera will get the start at catcher and hit eighth Friday.

Contreras is not in the lineup Thursday against the Brewers.

The Cubs have been rotating their catchers fairly regularly, so this seems to be a regular night off for Contreras. Miguel Montero will take over behind the plate for the evening.

D'Arnaud, who is out of the lineup Wednesday, appears to have been passed on the depth chart by Rene Rivera.

Rivera has started three of the last four games, and appears to be the go-to option behind the dish for the Mets down the stretch. D'Arnaud, who entered the year as a consensus top-10 catcher for fantasy purposes, has had a brutal season at the plate, slashing .253/.309/.332 with four home runs in 250 plate appearances. Typically he has carried the label of "good when healthy," but he failed to live up to that billing this season. It could simply be chalked up to an off year in a small sample size. The Mets will likely head into spring training next year with d'Arnaud as the unquestioned starter at catcher, so he'll make for a cheap bounce-back option in drafts next season.