MLB Player News

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's win over the Reds.

Diaz took Luis Castillo deep in the fourth inning to put the Pirates up 3-1, marking his second home run of the month and fifth of season. While Francisco Cervelli is locked in as the team's primary backstop, Diaz continues to produce in his limited opportunities, posting a .304/.350/.500 line through 34 games.

Realmuto went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI in Saturday's win over the Orioles.

Realmuto tormented Orioles starter Alex Cobb, producing an RBI single off the right-hander in the first inning before taking Cobb deep in the third (two-run) and sixth (solo) innings. The 27-year-old is now hitting an impressive .309/.371/.546 with nine homers, 26 RBI and 32 runs on the season, putting him near the top of every major hitting category among catchers.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

Grandal is only 7-for-38 since the start of June and will head to the bench as San Francisco sends Madison Bumgarner to the mound Saturday. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Dodgers.

Smith has gone 9-for-36 with two home runs, four RBI, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 11 games since returning from the 7-day disabled list.

After a four-week stint on the DL, Smith returned June 3 and has since hit .250/.372/.444 -- numbers pretty well in line with his season stats (.254/.345/.446). The 32nd overall pick in 2016, Smith has made 15 starts behind the plate this year and 14 at third base.

Hedges (elbow), who is in the midst of a rehab assignment at High-A Lake Elsinore, could be activated from the 10-day disabled list ahead of the Padres' two-game set against the Athletics that begins Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

After being pulled off his rehab assignment three weeks earlier when he experienced a hyperextension of his elbow, Hedges was cleared to return to game action in the minors Tuesday. The 25-year-old has played each of the last three days for the affiliate, culminating in him catching seven innings and going 2-for-2 at the dish Thursday. Hedges will likely need to log a full game behind the plate some point over the weekend before being reinstated from the DL, at which point he would presumably reclaim primary catching duties for the big club. Prior to landing on the DL, Hedges was hitting .173/.235/.293 while striking out in 37 percent of his plate appearances.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Thursday against the Giants, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

With the Marlins playing a day game after a night game, Realmuto will receive a breather following six consecutive starts behind the plate. Bryan Holaday will relieve Realmuto at catcher and bat eighth in the series finale.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Grandal will head to the bench for a breather after going 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI in Tuesday's win over the Rangers -- his fourth start in five games. Austin Barnes will set up behind the dish and hit eighth in his stead.

Barnhart is not starting Wednesday against the Royals.

Barnhart is hitting a capable .259/.342/.381 on the season, with four homers in 56 games. Curt Casali will start in his place.

Contreras is not in the lineup versus Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Contreras will take a seat following a pair of starts as Chris Gimenez gets the nod for the series finale. Over his past 10 games, Contreras is hitting .294 with a .714 OPS and two RBI. Expect him back in the lineup Friday in St. Louis.

Barnhart went 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's extra-inning win over the Royals.

Barnhart clubbed a solo home run -- his fourth of the year -- off Royals closer Kelvin Herrera in the ninth to tie the game at 1-1. The backstop is now hitting .259/.342/.381 with 20 RBI and 21 runs on the year. Barnhart doesn't hit for much power -- he hit seven home runs in 370 at-bats last year -- but he gets on base and doesn't strike out at a very high rate (19.5 percent this year).