MLB Player News

Murphy, 25, is batting .286 with three home runs and 11 RBI over his last 10 games for Triple-A Albuquerque.

Muprhy has been a tad injury prone throughout his professional career, but looks healthy now and has been tapping into his power lately. He has multiple seasons with 20 home runs in the minors, and could be close to seeing the bigs.

Contreras, 24, is batting .326/.423/.511 with five home runs, 22 RBI and two stolen bases for Triple-A Iowa.

Perhaps most impressively, Contreras has as many walks as strikeouts (22 apiece). He could be the catcher of the future for the Cubbies. Though he should make his MLB debut this season, his true impact likely will not come until 2017.

Diaz (elbow) is nearing the point to where he can resume throwing, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After trying to go with the rest and rehab route with his sore elbow this spring, Diaz ultimately opted to undergo elbow debridement surgery in early May. The initial timetable for a return was set at 7-to-9 weeks, so he's still a ways away from the Pirates considering activating him, but Wednesday's news is encouraging nonetheless. According to Nesbitt, Diaz is "in the final stages of prep" before he can begin a throwing program. A July return still appears to be the likely scenario for Diaz, but his recovery is headed in the right direction.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) is throwing with no issue and will ramp up baseball activities on Thursday, Newsday's Marc Carig reports.

He is back in Port St. Lucie working out after spending time at home in California with his own physical therapist. D'Arnaud, who is recovering from a rotator cuff strain, is still at least a couple weeks away from returning to the Mets, but it sounds like he is progressing nicely. Kevin Plawecki will continue to serve as the primary catcher for now.

Ohlman has played 27 games at Triple-A Memphis and has a .253/.337/.360 line through 75 at-bats.

For most of the season, Ohlman's batting average has been hovering around the .250 mark. Ohlman finished with a .273/.356/.418 line at Double-A Springfield last season, so his slight drop in production isn't too alarming for a player that had never appeared at the Triple-A level in his career. As the season progresses, Ohlman's main focus will be cutting down on strikeouts, as he's struck out in 45 percent of his at-bats. With Yadier Molina behind the plate in St. Louis, there will be no rush to bring Ohlman up to the show, so he will have plenty of time to polish his game.

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki will sit out in favor of Rene Rivera for the third game in the last six games. Plawecki has been struggling at the plate lately, failing to record a hit in his last 17 at-bats.

Grandal (foot) is back in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds.

A foot ailment cost Grandal a couple starts, but he will step back in behind the plate Tuesday to catch for starter Mike Bolsinger. The switch-hitter launched home runs in back-to-back games earlier this month, but he's been ice cold since, going 2-for-his-last-30 with 13 strikeouts.

Rupp is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Rupp will get some rest while Carlos Ruiz will take his spot at catcher for the day and face right-hander Justin Verlander. Rupp has gotten a hit in each of the last six games he's played, and is slashing .283/.304/.434 in 2016 so far.

Barnes is hitting .286/.396/.357 with no home runs and 10 stolen bases for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

That sounds like an A.J. Ellis in his prime slash line minus the steals. Barnes is batting a career .182 in 44 big league at-bats, but he should at least be able to be an MLB backup catcher/infielder as early as this year.

Hedges (hand) is heading to extended spring training this week as he progresses in his rehab, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges, who had his cast removed last week, will also start taking dry swings soon as he ramps up his recovery effort. Although there is no timetable for his return, the young catcher is clearly on the right track.