MLB Player News

Lee is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Lee will get the day off Friday against the Cardinals, with Martin Maldonado filling in behind the dish. Lee owns a .758 OPS with three homers in 58 plate appearances.

The Pirates activated Grandal (foot) from the 10-day injured list Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Grandal got a late start to the season while battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but he participated in nine rehab games with Triple-A Indianapolis and is feeling well enough to join the active roster after batting .257 (9-for-35) with two doubles and a homer. The veteran catcher is likely to share starts behind the dish with Joey Bart.

The Pirates optioned Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Davis entered the season as the Pirates' clear No. 1 catcher, but he slashed just .162/.280/.206 with a 34.9 percent strikeout rate and recently had fallen into a timeshare with Joey Bart. The Pirates will presumably keep Davis at catcher at Indianapolis, although it's possible he could be worked back into the mix in right field.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

Rortvedt will get the day off against lefty Jose Quintana, with freshly called-up Alex Jackson filling in behind the dish. During the Rays last series, Rortvedt went 1-for-9 (.111) with three strikeouts over three games.

Moreno (mouth) will catch and bat seventh in Friday's contest against the Padres.

Moreno didn't play Wednesday following a dental procedure, but he's ready to go following the Diamondbacks' off day Thursday. The young catcher sports a disappointing .669 OPS on the season and has yet to go deep.

Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Pinto will get an opportunity to re-find his swing at Triple-A after going 2-for-16 (.125) in his last eight games. Alex Jackson was called up in a corresponding move to act as the Rays' secondary catcher.

Grandal (foot) joined the Pirates at PNC Park on Friday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Grandal has not yet been activated from the injured list, but that seems likely to happen prior to Friday's game against the Rockies. The veteran catcher missed the first month-plus of the season due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot but has played nine rehab games with Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a .716 OPS with one home run. Pittsburgh could send the struggling Henry Davis down to make room on the active roster for Grandal.

Stephenson (hand) will start at catcher and bat cleanup in Friday's contest versus the Orioles.

Stephenson has been held out all week as a precaution with soreness in his right hand as a result of a hit-by-pitch. He's ready to roll now, following the Reds' off day Thursday.

The Reds expect Stephenson (hand) to return Friday against the Orioles, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Stephenson is hitting .231/.338/.415 with three homers and 10 RBI, but his Statcast metrics (20.4% barrel rate, 93.4 mph average exit velocity) suggest better results could be forthcoming. Moreover, Stephenson has been considerably better than his backup Luke Maile, who is hitting just .163/.250/.256 so far on the season.

Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday in an 8-0 win over Arizona.

Smith hit one of two homers in the game for Los Angeles, taking Jordan Montgomery deep to left field for a fifth-inning solo shot. The All-Star catcher went deep just once over his first 23 games of the season but has picked up the power since, swatting three long balls over his past five contests. Smith has complemented his four homers on the campaign with a .355/.395/.555 slash line, 24 RBI and 18 runs over 124 plate appearances.