MLB Player News

Realmuto is hitting out of the leadoff spot Wednesday against the Rays, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 26-year-old is hitless in his last three starts, but with Dee Gordon getting the night off, Realmuto will top the order for the time being. He'll likely return to his lower positioning once Gordon re-enters the lineup, but for now, Realmuto could have more opportunities to score runs batting ahead of the heart of Miami's lineup.

Murphy (forearm) is now wearing a soft cast on his ailing forearm after a bone scan revealed less healing than expected, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

The scan showed some improvement, but this certainly isn't the news the Rockies wanted to hear. Murphy was hoping to get back to baseball activities earlier this week, but with his healing process going slowly, he'll likely need to wait another week or so before that becomes a possibility again. This news comes at an especially bad time, as Tony Wolters (concussion) will likely also miss some time after taking a bat to the head Tuesday, leaving Dustin Garneau as the lone catcher on the 40-man roster.

D'Arnaud exited Tuesday's game against the Braves early due to a sore right wrist, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

D'Arnaud missed a short stretch of games earlier this season with wrist pain. It appears that this discomfort has reemerged and forced the catcher to exit Tuesday's game early. It's unclear if the early exit was simply precautionary or if d'Arnaud will have to miss more time. For now, he'll be considered day-to-day.

D'Arnaud exited Tuesday's game against the Braves early, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The reason for d'Arnaud's early departure is not yet known, but the starting catcher was replaced by Kevin Plawecki between the fifth and sixth inning. D'Arnaud was 0-for-3 with a strikeout prior to his early exit. A report on his condition should become available shortly.

Grandal is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Grandal will head to the bench as Austin Barnes gets the nod against southpaw Matt Moore. The switch-hitting backstop is slashing just .213/.310/.387 through 24 games this season, and should find himself back in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale.

Diaz will start and bat sixth Tuesday against the Reds.

Prior to his recall, Diaz hit .305/.317/.441 in 61 plate appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis. Given the health concerns surrounding Pittsburgh's top two catchers (Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart), the 26-year-old could be in line for plenty of opportunity in 2017. He won't hit for power or steal bases, but Diaz has shown the ability to hit for average in the upper minor leagues over the past few seasons.

Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

With the Pirates temporarily in need of another catcher while Francisco Cervelli nurses a foot injury, Diaz got the call, with John Bormann being optioned in a corresponding move. The 26-year-old is slashing .305/.317/.441 through 59 at-bats with Indianapolis this season. Cervelli remains confident that he won't need a DL stint, so if that's the case, Diaz's stay in the majors could be a brief one.

Stewart will start at catcher and bat eighth in the order Monday against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

With Francisco Cervelli (foot) nursing a foot injury, Stewart will be behind the dish for the second day in a row after going 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's game against the Marlins. Cervelli has said that he doesn't expect to land on the disabled list, so if that holds true, Stewart will only be in line for a short-term run as the Pirates' primary option behind the plate.

D'Arnaud (back) is batting seventh and playing catcher Monday against the Braves.

After getting Sunday's game off with back tightness, d'Arnaud is back in the lineup. The 28-year-old will look to turn things around at the plate Monday, as he has just two hits (albeit home runs, with both coming in the same game) in his last 22 at-bats.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup for the second straight game, though he did notch two at-bats and work a couple of innings behind the plate in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. The 28-year-old is on a strict playing-time schedule after appearing in just 39 games over the past two seasons, so seeing him get back-to-back days off shouldn't be too surprising. Tucker Barnhart will take over behind the dish for Mesoraco as the two continue to split time.