MLB Player News

Hedges is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Athletics.

Hedges will get a routine breather with the Padres and Athletics playing a day game after a night game, allowing A.J. Ellis to receive a turn behind the plate. In the Padres' 6-2 loss Tuesday, Hedges went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. He has recorded only four hits in 19 at-bats since returning from the disabled list June 24.

Caratini was recalled from Triple-A Iowa and will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Though he'll see work in the field in his first game action with the Cubs since May 22, Caratini projects to see the bulk of his time behind the plate during his latest stint with Chicago. Caratini will take over as the backup catcher behind Willson Contreras after Chris Gimenez was designated for assignment Wednesday in a corresponding move.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

To little surprise, Realmuto will head to the bench for the matinee contest after he played all 16 innings -- including 12 behind the plate -- in Tuesday's 9-6 loss. Bryan Holaday will draw the nod at catcher in the series finale, working in a battery with starting pitcher Jose Urena.

Grandal went 2-for-3 with a triple, a home run and a pair of runs scored in Tuesday's win over Pittsburgh.

After a strong start to the campaign, Grandal's bat had really cooled off in the month of June (.162/.197/.324). The catcher's prolonged slump caused him to revert back to being on the strong side of a platoon with Austin Barnes after serving as the Dodgers' primary catcher early on. Still, Grandal should receive enough playing time against righties in order for his power (12 homers, .211 isolated power) to remain relevant in most fantasy formats.

Mesoraco exited Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays after being hit in the head on a backswing, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic New York reports.

Mesoraco already cleared the concussion protocol, but the team is likely to monitor him closely over the next couple days. The 29-year-old seems unlikely to be in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in Toronto, but could seemingly return Friday against the Ray with Thursday's off day providing an additional day to recover.

Barnhart is out of the lineup against the White Sox on Tuesday.

Barnhart will get a standard breather following a pair of starts as Curt Casali sets up to catch Anthony DeSclafani. Over his past 12 games, Barnhart is hitting .311/.407/.422 with seven RBI. Look for him to rejoin the starting nine Wednesday.

Diaz will make his 10th straight start at catcher while batting cleanup Monday against the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old is batting .281 with one homer and six RBI since taking over for Francisco Cervelli (concussion) on a full-time basis. For the season, Diaz is slashing .294/.341/.484 with six homers and 21 RBI in 138 plate appearances. General manager Neal Huntington said on his Sunday radio show that while Cervelli is making good progress, the team will continue taking a conservative approach with his recovery. As a result, look for Diaz to start nearly every game until Cervelli returns.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Rockies.

Barnes made his third start over the Dodgers' last four contests. Two of those games have come against southpaws, and Sunday's was the result of Yasmani Grandal sitting out a day game following a night game. The catching situation in Los Angeles appears to be that of a traditional platoon, but neither catcher is batting above .230, so Barnes could certainly earn more playing time if his bat heats up.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI Sunday against the Padres.

Diaz has gotten consistent playing time since Francisco Cervelli landed on the disabled list (concussion) and has been productive. In his time as the primary backstop, Diaz has gone 9-for-32 with a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. Cervelli has resumed workouts, so Diaz's time as a full-time player may be coming to an end, though that could change if Cervelli is dealt prior to the trade deadline.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Twins.

Contreras batted seventh in this one, which is more of a reflection of the depth of Chicago's lineup than his performance to date, as the young catcher now has a solid .275 average and .805 OPS on the season. Contreras should continue to be one of the top options at his position in all fantasy formats.