MLB Player News

Contreras isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras has gone 0-for-12 with a walk and six strikeouts across his last four appearances, and he'll retreat to the bench for the second time in the last four games. Kevan Smith will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Narvaez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Mets.

The backstop took Tylor Megill deep in the fourth inning to produce the game's first run. Narvaez continues to put together a career-best campaign, and he's slashing .301/.422/.494 since the beginning of June -- a span in which he's hit four of his eight homers on the year.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Monday's 5-4 win over the Angels that Vazquez would be out of the lineup Tuesday for rest purposes, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez has caught each of the past four days, so his planned absence comes as little surprise. Reserve backstop Connor Wong is slated to step in for Vazquez behind the dish, catching for probable starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.

Heim batted fifth and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-3 loss to Detroit.

Heim went deep in the ninth inning for his fourth home run of the season. This was the second consecutive game hitting out of the five hole, which has featured six different batters over the last nine games. Manager Chris Woodward is trying to find a solution there, and Heim is the latest to get a shot. At various times, the Rangers have batted Nate Lowe and Adolis Garcia fifth, but they have since settled into second and third, respectively. The other 10 players to hit fifth this season have a combined slash of .193/.267/.287.

Grandal was removed from Monday's game against the Twins with a strained left calf.

The 32-year-old dealt with tightness in his left calf over the weekend and aggravated the injury in his return to the lineup Monday. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but it wouldn't be a major surprise to see Grandal miss a bit of time given the recurring nature of the issue.

Grandal was removed from Monday's game against the Twins with an apparent left leg injury, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The veteran catcher suffered the injury on a check swing during the sixth inning and was helped off the field in the middle of his at-bat. Grandal dealt with with tightness in his left calf over the weekend before rejoining the lineup Monday, though it's unclear if he aggravated that issue or if he's dealing with a new injury.

Gomes (forearm) is starting behind the plate and batting sixth Monday at San Diego, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post report.

The veteran catcher sat out Sunday after being hit by a pitch on the right forearm Saturday, and he'll rejoin the starting nine Monday after receiving a day off. Gomes is 8-for-22 with a homer, three doubles, four RBI and five runs in his past seven contests.

Manager Jayce Tingler said Monday that it's "safe to assume" Nola (knee) won't return until after the All-Star break, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old is catching a couple bullpen sessions Monday and continues to progress slowly as he returns from the knee sprain he suffered in late May. Nola may need to begin a rehab assignment soon to have a chance of being activated immediately after the All-Star break, which ends July 16.

Realmuto is on the bench for Monday's series opener against the Cubs, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The 30-year-old went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday, snapping out of a 2-for-25 stretch in his previous six games. Switch-hitting Andrew Knapp will start at catcher Monday.

Tromp was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Mark W. Sanchez of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Tromp appeared in three games with the major-league club in early June, and he went 4-for-9 with a home run, two RBI and two strikeouts. He isn't starting Monday's game against the Cardinals, but he should be available as a depth option behind the dish after Buster Posey (thumb) exited Sunday's win over Arizona.