MLB Player News

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Sunday's homer was a positive sign for the veteran after he dealt with a minor back injury earlier in the week. This could also signal an end to the streaky catcher's cold streak in which he batted .194 (7-for-36) over his previous 10 starts. Despite his ebbs and flows, Grandal is putting together another solid fantasy campaign with a .263/.313/.471 slash line to go along with 14 homers.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Hedges went 0-for-8 over the past two games as the Padres' starting catcher, but he'll get the day off with Luis Torrens taking over behind the plate. Expect to see Hedges back in the lineup Monday against the Phillies.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Mesoraco drew the start Saturday but went 0-for-3 at the plate and was ejected late in the game for jawing with the home plate umpire. He'll give way to Tucker Barnhart, who will bat eighth in the lineup.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Rupp is serving as the Phillies' primary backstop in the extended absence of Andrew Knapp (hand), but he will make his way to the bench in favor Jorge Alfaro as the team wraps up its weekend series against Chris Flexen and the Mets.

Barnes went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Friday's loss to the Padres.

The backstop started his second consecutive game behind the dish in place of the struggling Yasmani Grandal. It is worth noting that the Dodgers have faced southpaws in the two games that Barnes has started, so this is likely a sign of a platoon forming as opposed to a changing of the guard. The 27-year-old has performed well in a limited role this season (.292/.414/.521), making him a solid play in daily formats when he is penciled in the lineup.

Caratini was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

Caratini was down for just 10 days, but he's back as the Cubs need a replacement for the injured Willson Contreras (hamstring). He owns an outstanding .344/.387/.557 batting line over 76 games for Triple-A Iowa and is an intriguing prospect, but expect the Cubs to give the majority of the playing time at catcher to veteran Alex Avila. If Avila slumps and Caratini can show his power stroke translates, though, he could earn more significant playing time.

Contreras (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday.

Contreras is remaining positive that he will be able to return before the end of the regular season. It will be important for him to get some game action in before the postseason starts just so he can knock off the rust, but his rehab calls on him to be shut down completely for at least two weeks, so don't expect him to return until mid-September at the earliest.

Grandal is out of the starting lineup against San Diego for Friday's game, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

It's the second consecutive off night for Grandal, as the Dodgers again decide to go with Austin Barnes behind the plate against another southpaw. While the month is still young, Grandal has only hit 3-for-22 with 10 strikeouts. His playing time is probably not at risk, but his struggles are worth monitoring in the upcoming days as the season heads towards the playoffs.

Contreras (hamstring) has a moderate hamstring strain, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The diagnosis offers hope that Contreras will be back in time for the postseason, as the recovery time for this type of injury is generally four to six weeks, but the Cubs will take another look at him after two weeks of no physical activity. The announcement does mean that it should only be a matter of time until he is officially placed on the disabled list. Until he returns, expect Alex Avila to take over the bulk of the catching duties.

Mesoraco is not in the starting lineup against the Brewers on Friday.

Mesoraco returned from paternity leave Thursday, but remains out of the lineup for the 10th time in the last 11 games. The 29-year-old backstop has been dealing with a rash of knee and back injuries over the past month which have cut into his regular playing time. It also hasn't helped that his counterpart, Tucker Barnhart, is batting .292 with seven RBI over his last nine games. Expect Mesoraco to see more starts in the coming weeks, if he can stay healthy.