MLB Player News

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 5-4 extra-innings win against the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Atlanta was down to its last out when Murphy tied the score with his two-run blast off Arizona closer Paul Sewald in the top of the ninth inning. The clutch long ball was Murphy's second over his past four games, though he has only one other hit during that stretch. The veteran backstop went deep a career-high 21 times last season and has five homers through 29 contests during the current campaign.

Lee is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.

Martin Maldonado will get the call behind the plate in the series opener with Minnesota while Lee rests after starting at catcher both of the previous two days. Expect Lee to rejoin the lineup Tuesday.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.

The playing time at catcher had been swinging in Kelly's favor lately, but he'll end up hitting the bench for a second straight day Monday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch may have just wanted to reward Jake Rogers with another turn behind the dish after Rogers reached base twice, recorded his first steal of the season and scored twice in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Reds.

Bart will start at catcher and bat eighth Monday against the Mets.

Bart will get his third straight start and looks to be trending toward being the top option for the Pirates at catcher over Yasmani Grandal. The 27-year-old -- who is slashing .250/.345/.458 in 27 games with the Pirates this season -- has started five of eight contests since returning from the injured list in late June.

Grandal is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Mets.

Grandal has now taken a seat for three straight contests while Joey Bart has handled the catching duties. His first two absences from the lineup came against left-handers, but Grandal will hit the bench Monday against right-hander Christian Scott. Since coming off the injured list May 3 after missing the first month of the season while recovering from plantar fasciitis, Grandal has slashed just .182/.213/.298 over 128 plate appearances.

Naylor went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.

Naylor didn't start the contest, but he pinch hit for Austin Hedges with two on and two outs in the sixth inning. That proved to be a smart move from manager Stephen Vogt, as Naylor delivered a go-ahead homer, his first long ball since June 22. The catcher hasn't flashed a ton of power this year with five homers and a .338 slugging percentage over 64 contests. He's added two stolen bases, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, nine doubles and a triple while batting .205 on the season. Despite going hitless in seven of his last 11 games, he continues to see a majority of playing time behind the plate.

Contreras went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Nationals.

Contreras had a monster game against the Nationals, contributing in all facets offensively and extending his hitting streak to six games in Sunday's win. He clubbed his ninth home run of the season and his third in his last six games. The veteran had his first three RBI game of the season and picked up his third stolen base in the process. He's been playing well since returning from the IL and is hitting .299/.399/.529 for the campaign.

Amaya went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Angels.

Amaya has been seeing less playing time recently, with the newly signed Tomas Nido seemingly taking over as Chicago's top catcher. The 25-year-old Amaya still has some upside, but after hitting .214 in 53 games last year as a rookie he's batting only .194 this season. If he can't get his bat going a bit more, Amaya will likely stick in a reserve role, which caps his fantasy value.

Heim went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, an additional RBI and three total runs scored in Sunday's 13-2 win over the Rays.

Heim tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth inning before adding a solo shot in the sixth. The catcher has gone 15-for-41 (.366) with two homers, four RBI and eight runs scored over his last 12 contests. For the season, he's up to eight homers, 36 RBI, 31 runs scored, one stolen base and a .247/.294/.367 slash line across 296 plate appearances in a starting role.

Vazquez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two additional RBI in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Astros.

The Astros established a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Vazquez got one of those runs back with an RBI single. He added another RBI on a fielder's choice in the fourth before providing a walkoff homer in the ninth to complete the comeback. The catcher has multiple hits in each of his last three games, including two homers in that span. He's slashing .204/.227/.311 with four homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored and two stolen bases over 180 plate appearances this season. Vazquez continues to alternate starts at catcher with Ryan Jeffers, who has offered moderately more offense and power this season.