MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates, according to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA reports.

Grandal will be held out in favor of A.J. Ellis with the Dodgers loading up on right-handed hitters against Pirates southpaw Francisco Liriano. The Pirates will start another lefty Tuesday in Jon Niese, so Grandal could be limited to pinch-hit duty for a couple days in a row.

Barnhart went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Padres.

His big April is a distant memory, and Barnhart is now hitting just .247/.314/.351 on the season, but as the Reds' starting catcher, he still chips in just enough offense to have value in deeper formats.

Rupp is out of the lineup Sunday against the Giants, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

Rupp was the hero Saturday night, hitting a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the contest. Despite the solid offensive performance, manager Pete Mackanin did note that he would like to see improvement with the backstop's game calling. Until that happens, Rupp will likely still surrender a few days of playing time each week to Carlos Ruiz, although it is worth noting that Rupp has started six of the last seven games for Philadelphia.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

The Mets will rest d'Arnaud after he spent the last three games behind the plate, allowing Rene Rivera to pick up a start behind the plate. D'Arnaud hasn't been able to get much going since returning from a shoulder injury earlier last week, going 2-for-15 with three RBI.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cubs.

The Marlins will roll out a regular lineup Sunday, with the exception of both Realmuto and Marcell Ozuna (wrist). Jeff Mathis will get the start behind the plate for what is presumably a regular day of rest of Realmuto.

Contreras will make a second straight start in left field and bat fifth in the order Sunday against the Marlins.

Just eight games into his MLB career, Contreras has already made a compelling case for full-time duty, going 8-for-20 with three homers, a double and nine RBI. While he was initially expected to log only a few starts a week at catcher, Contreras has also picked up a start at first base for a resting Anthony Rizzo, and could start to see more frequent time in a corner outfield spot if he's able to acquit himself well defensively. Kyle Schwarber (knee) is out for the season, Jorge Soler (hamstring) is on the DL, and Dexter Fowler (hamstring) recently joined him, creating opportunities in the outfield for several Cubs. Jason Heyward is the only healthy regular locking into an everyday spot in the outfield, so it looks like manager Joe Maddon will have to decide between three players (Contreras, Chris Coghlan and Albert Almora) for two spots in most games.

Manager Pete Mackanin indicated Saturday that Rupp's game calling needs to improve, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Rupp is likely going to lose some playing time to Carlos Ruiz, at least in the short term. Ruiz will catch Aaron Nola on Sunday, and has recently become Jared Eickhoff's personal catcher. If Nola has success Sunday, it could lead to more playing time for Ruiz. Rupp, who hit his seventh homer of the season Saturday, will still be the primary option behind the dish for the Phillies because he offers more with the bat.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two walks and a run in Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Marlins.

The dynamic rookie plated Kris Bryant in the ninth, giving him at least one RBI in five of the seven games in which he's recorded an at-bat. Taking the pair of walks into account, Contreras is now boasting a .400/.500/.900 line over 20 at-bats.

Stewart is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Erik Kratz will take over behind the plate and it looks like the two will continue to split time fairly evenly while Francisco Cervelli (hand) remains out. As of earlier this week, Cervelli had not been cleared to grip the bat with his left hand.

Grandal is not in the lineup Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Grandal, having started the Dodgers' last four games behind the plate, will get a breather in place of A.J. Ellis, who'll get his first start since June 19. While Grandal does have six RBI in his last six games, he's also only recorded just one multi-hit game in his last 39 games and has batted .150 during that time.