MLB Player News

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Thursday against the Rockies, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

He started the last two games, but will take a seat for Thursday's day game, making way for Rene Rivera behind the dish. D'Arnaud is hitting .246/.299/.333 with two home runs in 137 plate appearances this season, but there is more upside in his bat than he has shown so far and he should still be rostered in the majority of formats.

Leon is expected to start the next couple of games as Ryan Hanigan still needs time to recover from flu-like symptoms, Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe reports.

Hanigan has missed the last two games and now will travel out west with the team to begin an 11-game road trip in Anaheim on Thursday. Leon will start until Hanigan, who is available in an emergency, is ready to play a full game.

Stewart (knee) ran the bases on Wednesday and will increase his baseball activities this weekend, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

There is still no timetable for Stewart's return to Pittsburgh. In his absence, Eric Fryer has been serving as the backup catcher for the Pirates. With Fryer playing well, it's unclear whether Stewart will reclaim his spot in Pittsburgh upon his return from the disabled list.

Contreras is out of the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

This will be the second day in a row that Contreras is absent from the starting lineup. Miguel Montero will be behind the plate Wednesday, batting fifth.

Grandal is not in Wednesday's lineup against Tampa Bay, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Grandal is just getting a normal day off, despite his recent power surge. A.J. Ellis will take over behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Perez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, according to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Perez started the last three games behind the plate, but he will be held out Wednesday with the Indians playing a day game following a night game. Chris Gimenez will serve as the Indians' catcher in Perez's place.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with his 14th home run of the season Tuesday against the Rays.

That's eight homers in the past month for Grandal, who is just two shy of last season's career-high total. The recent power surge has raised the catcher's slugging percentage to .430, but a dismal .227 BABIP has suppressed his average to a meager .211 mark.

Perez went 4-for-5 with a double, a solo homer and three runs Tuesday at the Royals.

Perez launched his fifth homer of 2016 in the sixth inning to give the Angels a 4-0 lead in a road victory. He now has a modest three-game hitting streak, and he slashing .221/.249/.357 on the year.

Leon will start behind the plate Tuesday against the Tigers after Ryan Hanigan was scratched due to illness, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Leon will bat eighth while catching knuckleballer Steven Wright during Tuesday's contest. Wright has normally been caught by Hanigan throughout the season, but Leon will slide back into the lineup after going 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday.

Barnhart is not in the Reds lineup on Tuesday against the Giants, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Barnhart should be back in the lineup on Wednesday when the Reds take on left-hander Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. The 25-year-old has continued to get better each month, hitting a very respectable .308 in 52 July at-bats. Ramon Cabrera will get the start behind the plate for the Reds on Tuesday.