MLB Player News

Rupp hit a pair of solo homers over four at-bats in Wednesday's 9-0 win over Houston.

He's been providing plenty of thunder when given the chance lately -- over his last seven starts, Rupp has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with four homers, three doubles, eight RBI and six runs. Unfortunately, that production has been spread out over more than two weeks; Rupp's limited playing time means that even this outburst only makes him ownable in NL-only and two-catcher formats.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.

D'Arnaud has hits in each of his past five starts, but he'll hit the bench after starting the first two games of the series with San Diego. Rene Rivera will assume catching duties for the evening.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game with the Mets.

Sanchez has been on a tear during his brief tenure as the Padres' primary catcher (1.183 OPS over the past 14 games), but he'll head to the bench for a night off Wednesday. Luis Torrens will replace him behind the plate.

Contreras is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

Despite bashing a home run in three of the past five games, Contreras will head to the bench for a night off after five consecutive starts behind the dish. Victor Caratini will assume catching duties for the evening.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Monday's win over the White Sox.

Contreras put the Cubs on the board with a three-run shot off of White Sox starter Carlos Rodon in the first inning. The young catcher now has four home runs in his last six games and seven this month, bringing his season total up to 16. With 56 RBI to boot, Contreras is establishing himself as one of the best fantasy catchers in the game.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two strikeouts in Monday's 6-4 win over the Twins.

Grandal's 14 home runs in 81 games show that his power hasn't gone anywhere, but he has certainly been less patient this season. The catcher's 6.8 percent walk rate is way down from his career 13.1 percent mark, while his 24.8 percent strikeout rate hasn't changed much from the usual 23.1 percent. The drop in OBP has been bearable thanks to a .327 BABIP that's well above Grandal's career .284 mark, but his average could start falling heavily down the stretch if more of his swings start finding fielders.

Contreras hit his 15th home run of the season in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.

The catcher's two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and propelled the Cubs to their eighth win in the last nine games. Contreras has been going deep rather frequently, as Sunday's blast marked the third time he's left the yard in the last four games -- a span that's also featured seven RBI.

Barnes hit a three-run home run as a part of a 2-for-4 showing Sunday against the Braves.

Barnes managed to open up the scoring in the fourth inning off Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb by belting an 0-2 offering over the fence. The 27-year-old catcher boasts a .944 OPS in his limited playing time, although his fantasy upside is limited as long as he's behind Yasmani Grandal in the pecking order behind the plate in Los Angeles. However, given how well he performs in his few opportunities, Barnes is a decent option in deeper two-catcher leagues.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Giants.

Sanchez's slugging percentage has ballooned all the way up to .597 in 71 plate appearances thanks to an 11-for-28 stretch with six extra-base hits since July 15. If the catcher keeps hitting like this, it will be hard to take him out of the lineup even when Austin Hedges (concussion) returns from the DL.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Grandal is 8-for-24 at the plate since the All-Star break, and is the owner of three consecutive multi-hit games. He'll be rewarded for his efforts with a day off, giving way to Austin Barnes behind the plate.