MLB Player News

Grandal isn't in the lineup for Saturday's outing against Colorado, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Grandal's batting average against lefties is .143 this season. With Tyler Anderson, a southpaw, starting for the Rockies, Grandal will give way to Austin Barnes behind the dish.

Stewart is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Francisco Cervelli will draw back into the lineup and spell Stewart on Saturday with the Pirates facing Taijuan Walker. Stewart got the start Friday, but went 0-for-3 on the night. At this point, it appears Stewart will continue to see infrequent playing time behind Cervelli.

Barnhart is out of Saturday's lineup against the Giants, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Barnhart has been losing playing time to Devin Mesoraco lately, as Saturday will mark the third time over the last four games that he's given way to Mesoraco behind the dish. For the year, Barnhart has a .263 batting average and .656 OPS.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Friday's 3-2 win over the Cardinals.

He nearly cost the Cubs the lead in the ninth inning, dropping strike three to Kolten Wong on what would have been the final out of the game and then throwing the ball away to allow Randal Grichuk to score from second, but Wade Davis bailed him out with one more whiff. Contreras is hitting just .228/.297/.406 on the season, but his four homers and 15 RBI through 31 games are in line with expectations and Friday's performance may be a sign he's finding his rhythm at the plate.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.

The jack was Hedges' eighth of the season. The catcher is certainly an asset in the power department, but not much more than that -- he holds a .196/.250/.458 slash line. Of note, however, is his .178 BABIP, a sign that he'll likely he'll get over the Mendoza Line at some point soon.

Realmuto went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Braves.

Realmuto smacked a two-run homer in the seventh inning of a losing effort. Although this is his first homer since April 6, he has an outstanding batting average, making him a solid fantasy option at catcher.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mesoraco is off to a slow start since returning from the DL, going 6-for-27 with one home run. On a positive note, he has held up to catching back-to-back games and should continue to see the lion's share of the playing time behind the plate for Cincinnati.

Grandal is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rockies, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Grandal has been hitting the ball very well lately. He's started three consecutive game and gone 8-for-13 with five RBI over that span. However, he'll get the night off while Austin Barnes starts behind the dish.

Grandal went 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, a walk, and an RBI in Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh.

It's been an extremely productive week for Grandal. He finished the series against Pittsburgh 8-for-13, including a pair of three-hit games and 5 RBI. The 28-year old catcher is now slashing .268/.345/.454 on the season.

Hedges is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Hedges is in the midst of a 3-for-25 skid at the dish, so he'll take a seat Wednesday to clear his head. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate and bat ninth in the order.