MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal has been in a bit of a funk at the plate recently, with just two hits and six strikeouts in his previous 17 at-bats. He'll get the day off with Austin Barnes filling in behind the plate.

Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

With Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart recently being sidelined by injuries, Stallings received the promotion to the big leagues June 7. He went 2-for-7 in his limited action but will now return to the minor leagues with Stewart set to come off the disabled list Sunday.

Stewart (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart had been sidelined since May 30 with a strained left hamstring but was recently able to aggressively run the bases, which was his final hurdle before returning to live action. He'll slot back in as the reserve catcher behind Francisco Cervelli.

Contreras is not in the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Although he doubled twice in Friday's contest, Contreras has just four hits over the past week. He'll cede Saturday's start to Miguel Montero.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

D'Arnaud is hitless over his last three games, dropping his season average down to .212, and with a day game on tap for Saturday, he'll hit the bench for a day off. Rene Rivera will assume the catching duties for the afternoon.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI and a run during Friday's win over Pittsburgh.

Games like Friday's have been few and far between for Contreras this season, and the backstop sports a disappointing .246/.315/.397 slash line. Additionally, his five homers, 28 RBI and 21 runs are probably falling short of the expectations the 25-year-old backstop carried entering the season. However, those are still serviceable fantasy numbers from the catcher position in the majority of settings.

Rupp went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Friday's loss to Arizona.

While Rupp owns an underwhelming .208/.294/.368 slash line this season, he's been a high-end hitter against southpaws dating back to last season. Before blasting Friday's homer off lefty Patrick Corbin, Rupp sported a .954 OPS and .399 wOBA against left-handed hurlers dating back to the beginning of 2016. Don't overlook the backstop as a potential source of DFS cap relief when Philadelphia faces a lefty.

Murphy (forearm) was activated from the disabled list and is starting at catcher Thursday against the Giants, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

While it was originally reported that Murphy would return sometime next week, it appears the Rockies were pleased enough with his rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque to bring him back early. The 26-year-old went 12-for-24 with seven RBI over his last five rehab games, including a 3-for-5 effort with five RBI in his most recent outing. He'll take the place of Ryan Hanigan on the active roster, while Murphy will likely enter a timeshare with Tony Wolters behind the dish for the time being.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Thursday against the Nationals.

D'Arnaud will head to the bench for a breather after turning in an 0-for-5 performance Wednesday. Rene Rivera will take over behind the plate in his stead.

Grandal is not in the Dodgers' Thursday lineup against the Indians, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The backstop will get an off day with Austin Barnes taking his place. Grandal should be back in action Friday. He's cooled off a little after a nice start to the year, batting .264/.321/.431 with six home runs in 216 plate appearances.