MLB Player News

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.

Stewart (hamstring) ran curves Wednesday and hopes to progress to running the bases in the near future, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stewart is slowly making his way back from a hamstring strain that has kept him sidelined since May. Once Stewart is able to run the bases, he'll likely head out on a rehab assignment, at which point there should be a clearer return date for him.

Contreras is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.

Contreras has only three hits over the past week, dropping his season batting average to just .240. He'll hit the bench with a day game on tap Wednesday, allowing Miguel Montero to pick up a start behind the dish.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco continues to get a steady diet of days off in an effort to keep him healthy, and that trend will continue with a day game on tap Wednesday. Tucker Barnhart will assume catching duties in his stead.

Hedges is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Reds, Bob Scanlan of Fox Sports San Diego reports.

The 24-year-old has terrorized the Reds over the past couple games, collecting five hits and three RBI, but he'll head to the bench with a day game on tap. Luis Torrens will fill in for Hedges behind the plate Wednesday.

Manager Bud Black said that Murphy (forearm) could return in "a week to 10 days," Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Murphy has been tearing it up in the minors during his rehab assignment, batting .375 in 26 plate appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque. Although the catching prospect is nearing a return to action, the Rockies have a tough decision on their hands once he's activated. Ryan Hanigan has been performing well at the plate and has been heralded for his ability to manage Colorado's young pitching staff, so it's not a sure thing that Murphy would knock him off the big-league roster upon his return. Murphy does have a minor-league option, but Black hinted that Murphy will get his fair shake in the big leagues at some point this season. "Murphy was going to play a lot [out of spring training]," he said. "He showed some power with his bat and we liked how he caught games last year." If Murphy does receive a spot with the Rockies immediately, he would likely enter a timeshare behind the plate with incumbent backstop Tony Wolters and knock Ryan Hanigan off the roster. The Rockies must make a decision on this front by June 23, which is the latest date Murphy can return from the disabled list.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.

Despite knocking homers in consecutive games, Mesoraco will head to the bench as Tucker Barnhart comes on to catch for Bronson Arroyo. The 28-year-old is now slashing .240/.345/.493 with five home runs in 87 plate appearances on the year.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run during Sunday's win over Miami.

The 26-year-old backstop has already piled up 10 RBI through just 39 plate appearances and boasts a rock-solid .382/.462/.588 slash line since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. However, Diaz owns a .670 OPS over 158 games at the Triple-A level, so his current results at the highest level are probably unsustainable. He'll continue to see plenty of at-bats for the duration of Francisco Cervelli's (concussion) and Chris Stewart's (hamstring) absences, though.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

It appears Hedges is simply receiving a scheduled day of rest ahead of Sunday's tilt against Jake Junis and the Royals. Luis Torrens will draw the start behind the plate.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves.

D'Arnaud sat out Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader and will again be relegated to the bench for Sunday's matinee against Jaime Garcia and the Braves. Rene Rivera will draw the start in his stead.