MLB Player News

Moreno (shoulder) has begun hitting off a tee and hitting flips in the batting cage, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks are hopeful that Moreno can ramp up further and begin taking practice by early next week. The catcher has exceeded the 10-day minimum and can be activated at any time.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's victory over the Cubs.

Murphy hit one of two home runs against Kyle Hendricks in a seven-run fourth inning for Atlanta. It was Murphy's 18th home run of the season but his first of the second half. He entered Friday's game with a .098/.229/.122 line in 11 games since he made his first career All-Star Game appearance.

Sanchez isn't in the Padres' lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

Sanchez will catch a breather Friday after going 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI during Wednesday's blowout win over Colorado. Luis Campusano will fill in behind the dish and bat eighth.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's victory over the Marlins.

Realmuto took Johnny Cueto deep for a solo shot in his first trip to the plate to give the Phillies an early 2-0 lead. The catcher later tacked on a single to give him his first multi-hit game since July 7 against these same Marlins. He's now hit safely in five of his last six games, slightly raising his batting average to .246 on the season.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Stephenson has a .547 OPS in 14 games since the All-Star break and will head to the bench Thursday after starting the previous two contests. Luke Maile will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale at Chicago.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras started the first two games of the series versus Minnesota and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's finale. Andrew Knizner will step in behind the plate to catch for Matthew Liberatore.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Twins.

This was Contreras' third multi-hit effort in his last 10 games, a span in which he's gone 9-for-24 with an .865 OPS. The catcher is up to a career-high six steals this season. He's maintained a .249/.344/.423 slash line with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 38 runs scored and 22 doubles through 92 contests.

Alvarez is not in the lineup Thursday at Kansas City.

Omar Narvaez will start behind the plate and bat seventh for the visiting Mets as Alvarez grabs a bit of rest. The 21-year--old catcher boasts a .997 OPS with nine home runs and 18 RBI in 22 games (86 plate appearances) since the beginning of July.

Fortes is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Phillies.

Fortes has claimed a larger share of the catching duties in Miami over the last several weeks, but he'll grab a seat Thursday as Jacob Stallings takes a turn behind the dish. Both backstops have struggled offensively this year.

Realmuto (hand) is batting sixth and starting behind the plate Thursday against the Marlins.

He was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a cut on his hand and was also held out Wednesday. Realmuto is hitting .240 with four home runs, 14 runs, 14 RBI and two steals in his last 75 at-bats.