MLB Player News

Murphy is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

Murphy will get the day off for the afternoon tilt after catching Wednesday night's loss to Arizona. Travis d'Arnaud will be behind the plate for Spencer Strider on Thursday.

Stephenson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

It's a day game after a night game, offering the prime opportunity to give Stephenson some rest. Luke Maile will be catching Andrew Abbott.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Brewers.

The 32-year-old catcher also struck out three times, continuing a trend that started before the All-Star break -- over his last seven games, Realmuto has a 1:12 BB:K while batting just .185 (5-for-27). Wednesday's stolen base was also his first since June 13, and while he's up to 11 homers and 11 steals in 84 contests, Realmuto's .762 OPS would be his lowest mark since his first season as a full-time player with the Marlins in 2015.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Rays.

Heim broke open a close game with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. It was the catcher's second home run in five games since the All-Star break. While memories of Heim's fade in the second half of last season are fresh, it should be noted that he experienced that drop-off after about 300 plate appearances. He's up to 337 plate appearances and has not showed signs of a similar fate in 2023.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Phillies.

He also contributed defensively, throwing out Bryson Stott attempting to steal second base in the ninth inning to help squelch Philadelphia's last-gasp rally. Contreras has been on fire at the plate in July, producing eight multi-hit performances in 12 games and slashing .412/.436/.627 with five doubles, two homers, seven runs and nine RBI.

Sabol went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Reds on Wednesday.

San Francisco didn't manage much offense in the contest, as Sabol was the only player on the team with multiple hits. He brought the Giants to within a run with his seventh-inning solo shot, but that was the final tally of the game. Sabol looks to be earning more playing time thanks to a strong July during which he has thus far slashed .321/.321/.786 with four homers and nine RBI over 10 games. His fantasy appeal lies in his eligibility at catcher and is aided by the fact that he also gets more-than-occasional playing time in the outfield.

Murphy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Twins.

Murphy got the Mariners on the board with his sixth-inning blast off Kenta Maeda. While his playing time remains sparse, Murphy has taken advantages of his opportunities by going 5-for-15 (.333) with two homers in July. The backup catcher is batting .275 with six long balls, 11 RBI, 12 runs scored and nine doubles over 112 plate appearances this season.

Perez (hamstring) went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.

Perez was out for two days while dealing with a Grade 1 plus hamstring strain, but he was able to avoid the injured list. He played all nine innings behind the dish before Edward Olivares replaced him as a pinch runner. Through 11 contests in July, Perez is batting .278 (10-for-36) with a 2:10 BB:K. The catcher is slashing .255/.298/.440 through 85 contests overall.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Mariners.

He and Ryan Jeffers have alternated starts at catcher since the All-Star break and it will be Jeffers catching for Kenta Maeda in this one. Vazquez went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's contest.

Raleigh is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Twins.

It will be Tom Murphy catching for Luis Castillo as Raleigh grabs a seat. Raleigh had been behind the plate for each of Seattle's previous four contests.