MLB Player News

Manager Tony La Russa said Grandal (knee) won't return from the 10-day injured list during the White Sox's upcoming four-game series in Toronto that concludes Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

La Russa stressed that Grandal hasn't suffered a setback in his recovery from the left knee surgery he required in early July; the White Sox simply aren't keen on rushing him back early while he rebuilds strength in the knee. Grandal will likely remain on assignment at Triple-A Charlotte through at least the end of the week before the White Sox re-evaluate him for a potential activation. Through his first seven rehab games between Charlotte and Double-A Binghamton, Grandal has gone 9-for-20 with a home run and three RBI.

Contreras was spotted Sunday testing his sprained right knee by running the bases, Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

According to manager David Ross, Contreras has been able to do some catching in addition to running, but his knee hasn't healed enough for the backstop to take part in blocking drills behind the plate. Sandalow speculates that if Contreras is activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of next weekend's road series versus the White Sox, he could be deployed as a designated hitter before catching in games.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Yan Gomes will step in for Murphy, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss. Murphy has seen a lighter share of the catching duties since Gomes was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, but the former still appears to be Oakland's No. 1 backstop.

Nola is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

He gets a day off after going 1-for-3 with a walk Saturday, raising his average to .265 in the last 10 games. Victor Caratini is catching and batting eighth Sunday.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Giants on Saturday.

Murphy has been on a solid run at the plate through most of August, as Saturday's production brought his slash line over the last nine games to .286/.394/.536 with four doubles, a home run, seven RBI, five walks and five runs. The young backstop's .225 season average does have plenty of room for improvement, but his .321 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage are both serviceable enough.

Raleigh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Tom Murphy will be behind the plate for the series finale after Raleigh caught five of the Mariners' previous six games. Despite the run of steady playing time, Raleigh has yet to carry over much of his offensive success from Triple-A Tacoma over to the majors. Through his first 86 MLB plate appearances, Raleigh is hitting .177 with six extra-base hits (one home run, five doubles) and 30 strikeouts (34.9 percent rate).

Narvaez is on the bench for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Narvaez has hit .323 with a double, two home runs and nine RBI in his last 10 games. Manny Pina is starting behind the dish and batting eighth Sunday.

Zavala is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Zavala, who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run -- his fifth of the season -- in Saturday's 8-4 loss, will receive a routine maintenance day in the series finale. Zack Collins will catch for starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez.

Leon will start at catcher and bat seventh Sunday against the Reds, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He'll crack the starting nine for the first time since Aug. 10. After the Marlins acquired Alex Jackson from Atlanta at the July 30 trade deadline and added him to the active roster shortly thereafter, Leon has fallen from second to third on the depth chart at catcher behind Jackson and Jorge Alfaro.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

With three starts in the Blue Jays' previous four games, McGuire still appears to hold an edge over Alejandro Kirk as the team's No. 1 catcher. He'll be rested for Sunday's matinee game, however, paving the way for Kirk to form a battery with starting pitcher Steven Matz.