MLB Player News

Contreras went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 7-2 victory over St. Louis.

Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, Contreras continues swinging a hot bat. He's raised his batting average from .269 to .282 since the start of July with a couple homers and seven RBI during that span. On the year, the Venezuelan backstop has just eight home runs and 37 RBI after hitting 21 homers and 74 RBI in just 117 games last season.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with an RBI double Sunday against the Reds.

He's served as Pittsburgh's cleanup hitter nine times in the month of July, going 12-for-34. Speaking on his Sunday radio show, general manager Neal Huntington said the team is considering giving starting catcher Francisco Cervelli (concussion) occasional time at first base to keep Diaz's bat in the lineup. Given Cervelli's precarious status, fantasy owners might want to pick up Diaz for both the near term and future, especially now that Pittsburgh seems to have confidence in the 27-year-old. He's hitting .287 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 174 at-bats, but just keep in mind Diaz was a career .259 hitter in parts of nine minor-league seasons.

Hedges is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Phillies.

Unsurprisingly, Hedges will head to the bench after he went 0-for-4 while playing all nine innings behind the plate in the Padres' 10-2 win in Game 1. A.J. Ellis will handle the catching duties in the nightcap.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Brewers, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

He'll give way to Austin Barnes behind the plate with lefty Brent Suter on the mound for the Brewers. Though he's a switch hitter, Grandal has been far more productive versus right-handed pitching (.270/.362/.515 batting line, 139 wRC+) than southpaws (.206/.329/.302, 82 wRC+) this season.

Murphy recorded a solo home run in his only at-bat Saturday in a win over Diamondbacks.

Murphy entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and delivered the go-ahead run on his first home run of the season. He remains the backup catcher behind Chris Iannetta, seeing just 55 at-bats in 20 appearances as a result. He has recorded seven extra-base hits in his limited playing time, hinting at what he may be capable of if he's given full-time at-bats.

Casali went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.

In 19 games since joining the Reds. Casali is slashing .304/.385/.500 with two homers. His career production doesn't suggest he'll be able to keep up this pace for long, but GMs in deep NL-only formats can probably find a use for any catcher while he's hot at the plate.

Barnhart is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Barnhart is hitting a modest .249/.329/.353 with five home runs through 81 games this season. Curt Casali will draw the start behind the plate in his absence.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup versus the Yankees on Saturday.

Mesoraco will occupy a spot on the bench after going 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI during Friday's series-opening win. In his place, Kevin Plawecki will catch Steven Matz and bat sixth.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

Contreras will receive a breather after going 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts during Friday's loss. In his place, Victor Caratini will catch Tyler Chatwood. Expect to see Contreras back behind the plate for Game 2.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Cardinals.

Contreras also struck out three times, so it was a mixed effort. The 26-year-old catcher went deep in the All-Star Game Tuesday and now has eight home runs this season. He'll have to get rolling to match the 21 long balls he recorded in 2017, but he certainly has the talent to get hot in a hurry.