MLB Player News

Contreras is out of Friday's lineup against the Cardinals.

He had started five of the last six games, hitting .278/.381/.278 in 18 at-bats over that span. Victor Caratini is hitting ninth and catching starter Mike Montgomery.

Mesoraco is out of Friday's lineup in Pittsburgh.

He has started 13 of 22 games this month, hitting .239/.280/.348 with one home run in 46 at-bats over that stretch. Kevin Plawecki will start behind the dish and hit eighth.

Perez went 1-for-2 in a win over the Orioles on Thursday.

The game marked Perez's big-league debut, which came in short order following his trade from the Diamondbacks. Perez's current tenure may not last very long, as he's expected to head down to Triple-A Durham upon Wilson Ramos' return from his current hamstring injury. However, Perez will continue splitting time at backstop with Jesus Sucre in the interim.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Nationals.

Realmuto entered Thursday's game just 1-for-11 across his past three games, but recorded his 10th game with at least three hits this season. His .310 batting average is the best among all major-league catchers, and he also ranks among the top-10 in home runs, RBI and runs scored at the position despite missing half of April.

Mesoraco went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Pirates.

Thursday's performance marked the first time Mesoraco has scored a run since July 6 and only his fourth multi-run game of the season. However, he has been relatively productive by driving in eight runs across 46 at-bats in July. Mesoraco is batting an unimpressive .227 for the season, but should continue to see regular at-bats as the regular backstop for the Mets.

Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

With Francisco Cervelli (concussion) coming off the disabled list, this was the obvious move. Stallings will continue to serve as organizational catching depth at Triple-A.

Leon is out of the lineup versus the Twins on Thursday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Leon will receive a standard day off for maintenance purposes after starting Wednesday's game before it got suspended due to inclement weather. In his absence, Blake Swihart will catch Brian Johnson and bat seventh.

Narvaez is out of the lineup against the Angels on Thursday.

Narvaez will receive a breather after starting the past two games behind the plate. In his place, Kevan Smith will catch Dylan Covey and bat ninth in the order.

Maldonado was traded from the Angels to the Astros on Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group reports. In return, the Angels received left-hander Patrick Sandoval and international bonus pool money.

Maldonado will add quality defense behind the dish for an Astros team that has been one of the worst at throwing out opposing baserunners, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Coming out of Wednesday's series finale with Colorado, Houston ranked 22nd in the big leagues with a caught-stealing percentage of 24.6, so Maldonado's 37.0 percent (second in the MLB) will certainly help in that area. Across 78 games with the Angels this year, Maldonado has slashed .223/.284/.332 with five home runs and 32 RBI. He will likely split time with Max Stassi while Brian McCann (knee) continues to recover from surgery.

Maile went 3-for-5 with a steal and a pair of RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Twins.

Maile hit a two-run single as part of a game-tying rally in the eighth inning, though the Jays would go on to lose the game. He also picked up his second steal of the year, though he's stolen just three bags in 152 career games, so don't expect a whole lot more where that came from.