MLB Player News
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Tomas Nido C | DET
Mets' Tomas Nido: Taking control of catching gig
Nido will start at catcher and bat ninth Monday against the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Nido is behind the plate for the fourth time in five games and appears to be the Mets' preferred option at catcher over Omar Narvaez while Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is on the shelf. Though he's well regarded for his framing and ability to manage the Mets' pitching staff, Nido is a career .213 hitter and offers little power or speed, making him uninteresting for fantasy purposes outside of NL-only leagues.
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Omar Narvaez C | HOU
Mets' Omar Narvaez: Playing second fiddle to Nido
Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Narvaez started three of the first four games at catcher after Francisco Alvarez (thumb) got hurt and was placed on the injured list, but it's now been Tomas Nido behind the plate for four of the last five contests. The 32-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .204/.271/.284 as a Met since the beginning of last season.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
Pirates' Yasmani Grandal: Return from IL imminent
Grandal (foot) has made six appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis during his rehab assignment, going 5-for-21 with one home run, two walks, two runs and six RBI.
Perhaps more important than his statistical production is the fact that Grandal has made five of his six starts behind the plate, a sign that he's feeling healthy after he was shut down in the spring due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, general manager Ben Cherington noted that Grandal's upcoming return will force the Pirates to make a tough roster decision, as one of Henry Davis and Joey Bart will lose out on a spot. Given that Bart is out of options and has been performing better of the two backstops, Davis seems like the more logical choice to get demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room for Grandal, even though Davis is seen as the Pirates' long-term answer behind the dish.
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Luis Campusano C | SD
Padres' Luis Campusano: Homers as pinch hitter
Campusano went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies.
Campusano entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Kyle Higashioka in the seventh and instantly made an impact, swatting a three-run shot to left center off Taijuan Walker to bring the Padres within one run. It was only his second home run of the year, but the 25-year-old is enjoying a productive first month of the season, slashing .290/.320/.430 with nine extra-base hits, 17 RBI, 13 runs and a 4:11 BB:K in 97 plate appearances as the Padres primary backstop.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Plates three runs in win
Realmuto went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Padres.
Realmuto won the battle against Michael King in the sixth, sending a 421-foot blast to left center to put the Phillies up 6-3. He gave them some additional insurance with an RBI single in the seventh as well. Realmuto's now hit safely in six of his last seven games and has five RBI over his last three. For the year, he's slashing .245/.292/.429 with five homers, 14 RBI, 14 runs and a 6:28 BB:K in 106 plate appearances.
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Jacob Stallings C | BAL
Rockies' Jacob Stallings: Collects second RBI
Stallings went 1-for-2 with an RBI on Sunday against the Astros.
Stallings has served in a true backup role to Elias Diaz, as Sunday marked only his ninth start of the season. Stallings managed his second RBI of the season Sunday with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. He also has at least one hit in each of his last four starts.
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Luis Campusano C | SD
Padres' Luis Campusano: Not starting Sunday
Campusano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Campusano has a .907 OPS with four doubles in his past seven contests and will sit Sunday after starting the previous three games. Kyle Higashioka will step in behind the plate to catch for Michael King in the series finale versus the Phillies.
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Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Receives Sunday off
Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Seattle.
Moreno started the first two games of the series but will receive a breather in Sunday's finale. Tucker Barnhart is starting at catcher and batting eighth.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Sitting Sunday
Stephenson (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Texas.
Manager David Bell said Stephenson's removal from Saturday's contest after being hit by a pitch on the hand was precautionary, but the backstop will still take at least one day to recover. Luke Maile is working behind the plate in the series finale versus the Rangers.
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Keibert Ruiz C | WAS
Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Resting Sunday
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
After his return from the 10-day injured list Thursday following a bout with the flu, Ruiz started behind the dish each of the past three games, going 1-for-11 with a solo home run and a walk. He'll get a breather for the day game in Miami, giving way to Riley Adams.