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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Retreats to bench
Stephenson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
Stephenson is slashing a woeful .180/.254/.246 since the All-Star break, and his ongoing struggles at the dish appear to have resulted in him moving into more of a timeshare at catcher with Luke Maile. The two backstops have now alternated starts behind the plate over the past eight games.
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Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Hits bench Wednesday
Moreno is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Though he didn't start in his return from the injured list Sunday, Moreno was behind the dish for the first two games of the series in Colorado, going 1-for-8 with a double and an RBI. He should be locked in as Arizona's primary option behind the dish moving forward, but Moreno will give way to Jose Herrera for the day game after a night game.
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Ryan Jeffers C | MIN
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Heads to bench Wednesday
Jeffers is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Jeffers will hit the bench after he went 4-for-21 with four walks while starting each of the last six games at either catcher or designated hitter. Though Jeffers appears to have at least temporarily emerged as the Twins' top backstop, Christian Vazquez will get the nod behind the plate for the series finale.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets breather Wednesday
Alvarez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Alvarez appears to be receiving some routine maintenance while the Mets and Pirates conclude their series with a day game after a night game. Omar Narvaez will check in behind the dish in place of Alvarez, whose production has slowed down thus far in August with one home run and a .184 average on the month.
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Eric Haase C | CHW
Tigers' Eric Haase: Retreats to bench Wednesday
Haase is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.
Haase had started in three of the last four games -- two at catcher and one in left field -- but he'll head to the bench Wednesday as Jake Rogers and Akil Baddoo step in at those respective positions. The Tigers still appear to view Haase primarily as a catcher, and Rogers should remain the team's preferred option behind the plate given Haase's season-long struggles. Among the 275 players in the majors with at least 250 plate appearances this season, Haase ranks 274th with a 44 wRC+.
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Kevin Plawecki C | TEX
Kevin Plawecki: Cut loose by Texas
The Rangers released Plawecki on Tuesday.
Texas acquired Plawecki from the Padres in late July to add catching depth at Triple-A Round Rock after All-Star backstop Jonah Heim hit the shelf with a wrist injury. Heim has recently been activated from the injured list and the Rangers have sent another catcher in Sam Huff back to Round Rock, so the organization no longer had room for Plawecki.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Padres' Gary Sanchez: Sets tone with grand slam
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Orioles.
Sanchez's big blast in the first inning gave the Padres all they needed for the win. He's hitting .300 in August (9-for-30) with four homers and nine RBI over eight games this month. Overall, the catcher is at a .221/.297/.503 slash line with 16 homers, 41 RBI, 30 runs scored and seven doubles through 219 plate appearances. Despite the strong recent form at the plate, Sanchez has been splitting time pretty evenly with Luis Campusano.
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Yainer Diaz C | HOU
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Pops 16th homer
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Marlins.
Diaz drew the start behind the dish for the third time in Houston's last six games. He has earned that increase in playing time at the plate, as he's maintained a .299 batting average with six homers, 20 RBI and 12 runs scored across 77 at-bats since the All-Star break. Diaz has also gotten sporadic looks at designated hitter, even since the return of Yordan Alvarez.