MLB Player News

D'Arnaud is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rangers.

The catcher will retreat to the bench after starting the past two games behind the plate while Rene Rivera takes over in his place. Since the All-Star break, d'Arnaud is hitting .295/.328/.393 with one home run and eight RBI.

Barnhart went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Padres.

It was his fourth homer of the year, and second in 21 games -- along with his second multi-hit performance -- since the All-Star break. Barnhart's workload seems to be catching up to him, as he's hitting only .238 (15-for-63) over that stretch, but hopefully Devin Mesoraco will come back refreshed after his stint on the paternity list.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Reds.

The 24-year-old catcher continues to show that last year's power display for Triple-A El Paso wasn't just a product of a friendly hitting environment, as Hedges now has 15 homers in 83 games for the Padres this season. His .228 batting average and .707 OPS leave a lot to be desired, but he's still got plenty of time to improve on those numbers as his career progresses.

Barnes (hand) is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

He took a foul ball of his hand in Sunday's game, but his absence from Tuesday's lineup could simply be a matter of him being the No. 2 catcher, and Yasmani Grandal getting a start against righty Zack Godley, which is not unexpected. Continue to consider Barnes day-to-day for now.

Grandal (back) is starting behind the dish and hitting fifth Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, Grandal is back in action after missing one game with a sore back. He is hitting .279/.311/.519 with eight home runs over his last 129 at-bats.

Rupp will start at catcher and bat eighth Tuesday against the Braves.

With Andrew Knapp (hand) landing on the 10-day disabled list earlier Tuesday, Rupp looks bound to handle primary catching duties for the Phillies until Knapp is cleared to return. Rupp will collect his fifth start in six games Tuesday after going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and RBI in Sunday's series finale against the Rockies.

Manager Dave Roberts said he expects Grandal (back) to start in Tuesday's series opener against the Diamondbacks, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Grandal ended up sitting out Sunday's win over the Mets after he was pulled early in the previous contest with back spasms. The day out of the lineup plus Monday's off day is expected to be all that Grandal needs to heal up, so if he's in fact included in the starting nine Tuesday, he should represent a safe fantasy option during the Dodgers' six-game week.

Barnhart will start at catcher and bat eighth Monday against the Padres, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Though Devin Mesoraco was able to return last week from a multi-game absence due to a knee injury, he left the team Monday to witness the birth of his child and was placed on the paternity list, meaning he could be unavailable for the next three games. That should allow Barnhart to enjoy another full slate of starts this week, which has been par for the course of late. Monday's game will mark the 10th time in 12 contests that Barnhart has been behind the dish.

Mesoraco was placed on the paternity list Monday.

This helps explain Mesoraco's absence from the lineup for a second straight contest. He'll be away from the team for a maximum of three days, so he should be back with the big club before Thursday's series finale. In the meantime, Tucker Barnhart will serve as the Reds' primary backstop, while pitcher Austin Brice was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Monday against the Padres.

The injury-riddled catcher will head to the bench for a second straight game in an attempt to keep him healthy for the rest of the season. Tucker Barnhart will again take over behind the dish for Mesoraco.