MLB Player News

Stewart (knee) will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart is expected to catch seven innings in the contest, his first game action since July 1. With Francisco Cervelli now healthy, it's unlikely the veteran backstop will see consistent playing time behind the dish. However, he should retake his role as the team's backup catcher.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.

Grandal homered for the second straight contest, tying his career high in RBI with 49 on a two-run blast in the third inning. The slugging catcher has achieved that feat by driving in nine runs in his last seven games, so he's likely to top it substantially by season's end. Don't be surprised if his .236/.355/.492 line actually climbs down the stretch, as it's currently being held back by a career-low .257 BABIP.

Contreras homered, a solo shot, in a 1-for-3 game in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

After homering five times in his first 17 games, Contreras was dealing with a long cold stretch, as he was hitting just .237/.317/.301 in his past 25 games since his last home run. Despite the extended power outage, though, Contreras owns a sharp .265/.351/.444 batting line for the season, and his combination of power and discipline is rare for a veteran catcher, much less one as young as he is.

Maldonado is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Braves.

With Maldonado getting a maintenance day, Manny Pina will get the nod to start behind the dish Tuesday night. Maldonado's struggles at the plate have continued in recent contests, as he's gone just 3-for-20 with nine strikeouts over the last seven days.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with San Francisco, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

After seeing action in four consecutive games, Realmuto will start Tuesday on the bench as Jeff Mathis fills in behind the dish and bats seventh. Realmuto will resume an 11-game hit streak when he returns to the lineup.

Hernandez was recalled from Double-A Mobile on Tuesday.

Welington Castillo hit the Paternity Leave List on Tuesday, so Hernandez will come up to provide some insurance behind Tuffy Gosewisch with Chris Herrmann on the DL. Castillo isn't likely to miss more than a day or two, so Hernandez's stay with the big league club could be a short one.

Maldonado hit a two-run home run in a 1-for-5 game in a loss Monday to Atlanta

Maldonado hit his first home run in June 1. Since then, he is hitting .239/.357/.451 with five homers in 25 games. Maldonado strikes out too much to hit for a good batting average, but he has solid power and should be able to reach double-digits in home runs now that the Jonathan Lucroy trade has cleared his path to playing time.

Rupp is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp has been phenomenal at the plate in recent outings, having gone 8-for-23 with three home runs over the last seven days. However, he'll have the day off as the Phillies opt to start Carlos Ruiz behind the plate against San Diego. Rupp will likely return to the lineup Monday when Philadelphia begins their series against the Dodgers.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies, Jenny Cavnar of Root Sports reports.

Realmuto will have the day off as Jeff Mathis starts behind the dish for the Marlins. Realmuto has been swinging the bat well in recent outing and is 7-for-19 (.368) over the last seven days. He'll likely return to the lineup Monday against the Giants.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

It's a regular day off for Barnhart, who will get the afternoon finale to rest after starting the first two games of the series. Ramon Cabrera will man the backstop in his stead.