MLB Player News

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Plawecki and Rene Rivera have alternated the starts behind the plate since May 24, and the pattern will continue Monday, with Rivera starting after Plawecki was given the nod Sunday. The duo figures to continue sharing the catching duties until Travis d'Arnaud is ready to return.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets.

The Dodgers tweeted an initial lineup featuring Grandal, but corrected their mistake shortly thereafter. It will be A.J. Ellis behind the plate for the evening contest, as it's typically Ellis who catches lefty Clayton Kershaw. Plus, Grandal had caught four straight games, so the timing was right for a routine day of rest.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

After catching the first two games of the series, Realmuto will take a seat Sunday in favor of Jeff Mathis behind the plate.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.

Barnhart will get the day off as Ramon Cabrera will man the catching duties and bat eighth for the Reds on Friday. Throughout the 2016 season, Barnhart has been reliable filling in for Devin Mesoraco (season-ending shoulder injury) batting .234/.274/.336, but has not brought any pop to the lineup with only one home run and eight RBI during 107 at-bats.

Rupp is out of the lineup Friday, the News Journal's Meghan Montemurro reports.

He will give way to Carlos Ruiz behind the plate Friday after starting five of the last seven games. Considering how much of a wasteland the catcher position is, Rupp has been pretty serviceable in the early going on the strength of his .282 average alone, but that mark is slated for heavy regression (.370 BABIP, career .306 BABIP) going forward, and he'll soon be waiver wire fodder in most one-catcher formats.

Murphy, 25, is batting .286 with three home runs and 11 RBI over his last 10 games for Triple-A Albuquerque.

Muprhy has been a tad injury prone throughout his professional career, but looks healthy now and has been tapping into his power lately. He has multiple seasons with 20 home runs in the minors, and could be close to seeing the bigs.

Contreras, 24, is batting .326/.423/.511 with five home runs, 22 RBI and two stolen bases for Triple-A Iowa.

Perhaps most impressively, Contreras has as many walks as strikeouts (22 apiece). He could be the catcher of the future for the Cubbies. Though he should make his MLB debut this season, his true impact likely will not come until 2017.

Diaz (elbow) is nearing the point to where he can resume throwing, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After trying to go with the rest and rehab route with his sore elbow this spring, Diaz ultimately opted to undergo elbow debridement surgery in early May. The initial timetable for a return was set at 7-to-9 weeks, so he's still a ways away from the Pirates considering activating him, but Wednesday's news is encouraging nonetheless. According to Nesbitt, Diaz is "in the final stages of prep" before he can begin a throwing program. A July return still appears to be the likely scenario for Diaz, but his recovery is headed in the right direction.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) is throwing with no issue and will ramp up baseball activities on Thursday, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

He is back in Port St. Lucie working out after spending time at home in California with his own physical therapist. D'Arnaud, who is recovering from a rotator cuff strain, is still at least a couple weeks away from returning to the Mets, but it sounds like he is progressing nicely. Kevin Plawecki will continue to serve as the primary catcher for now.

Ohlman has played 27 games at Triple-A Memphis and has a .253/.337/.360 line through 75 at-bats.

For most of the season, Ohlman's batting average has been hovering around the .250 mark. Ohlman finished with a .273/.356/.418 line at Double-A Springfield last season, so his slight drop in production isn't too alarming for a player that had never appeared at the Triple-A level in his career. As the season progresses, Ohlman's main focus will be cutting down on strikeouts, as he's struck out in 45 percent of his at-bats. With Yadier Molina behind the plate in St. Louis, there will be no rush to bring Ohlman up to the show, so he will have plenty of time to polish his game.