MLB Player News

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.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Contreras started the past 12 games after missing one contest due to a head injury, and he'll take a seat Sunday after he posted a .319/.396/.468 slash line during that stretch. It's just his fourth game out of the lineup this season. Eric Haase will step in behind the plate to catch for veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Though Luis Campusano was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Higashioka started behind the plate in the Padres' first two games of the series against Arizona. Higashioka will take a seat for Sunday's day game, but his usage earlier in the week could indicate that he'll retain the No. 1 job ahead of Campusano, even though the latter player is now healthy. Over his last 12 games, Higashioka has hit .310 with seven extra-base hits (five home runs, one triple, one double) and three walks.

King (shoulder) was cleared to make his season debut in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on May 13 and is slashing .271/.386/.353 with zero home runs or stolen bases across 101 plate appearances over 26 games.

King's 2024 season was slightly delayed while he completed his recovery from right shoulder surgery, which he underwent in October. The 20-year-old catcher is regarded as a strong defender behind the plate, but as his production thus far in rookie ball illustrates, he doesn't bring much fantasy juice to the table.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.

The 33-year-old started all seven games since he returned from the injured list last weekend, though he's still experienced a bit of tightness in his calf since being activated and hasn't pushed himself while running the bases. There's been no report that Diaz has further aggravated the injury, so his absence from the lineup Sunday is likely just a maintenance day. Jacob Stallings is receiving a turn behind the plate in the series finale.