MLB Player News
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Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Lifts grand slam in rout
Bart went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Tuesday's 12-2 win over the Brewers.
Bart blew the game open in the sixth inning with his grand slam, and the Pirates never looked back. It was just his third hit over seven games since he returned from a month-long absence with a left thumb sprain. Bart is slashing .241/.330/.468 with five homers, 17 RBI, nine runs scored and three doubles across 91 plate appearances this season, and he's gaining playing time over Yasmani Grandal -- Tuesday was Bart's fourth straight start.
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Luis Campusano C | SD
Padres' Luis Campusano: Idle Tuesday
Campusano isn't in the Padres' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Tuesday will mark the third time Campusano has missed a start behind the plate since being activated from the injured list Friday. Kyle Higashioka, who has been on a hot streak recently, will once again start at catcher and bat ninth.
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Sean Murphy C | ATL
Braves' Sean Murphy: Slugs clutch homer
Murphy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 5-4 extra-innings win against the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Atlanta was down to its last out when Murphy tied the score with his two-run blast off Arizona closer Paul Sewald in the top of the ninth inning. The clutch long ball was Murphy's second over his past four games, though he has only one other hit during that stretch. The veteran backstop went deep a career-high 21 times last season and has five homers through 29 contests during the current campaign.
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Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Making third straight start
Bart will start at catcher and bat eighth Monday against the Mets.
Bart will get his third straight start and looks to be trending toward being the top option for the Pirates at catcher over Yasmani Grandal. The 27-year-old -- who is slashing .250/.345/.458 in 27 games with the Pirates this season -- has started five of eight contests since returning from the injured list in late June.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
Pirates' Yasmani Grandal: Out again Monday
Grandal is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Mets.
Grandal has now taken a seat for three straight contests while Joey Bart has handled the catching duties. His first two absences from the lineup came against left-handers, but Grandal will hit the bench Monday against right-hander Christian Scott. Since coming off the injured list May 3 after missing the first month of the season while recovering from plantar fasciitis, Grandal has slashed just .182/.213/.298 over 128 plate appearances.
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Willson Contreras C | BOS
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Blasts home run, swipes bag
Contreras went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Nationals.
Contreras had a monster game against the Nationals, contributing in all facets offensively and extending his hitting streak to six games in Sunday's win. He clubbed his ninth home run of the season and his third in his last six games. The veteran had his first three RBI game of the season and picked up his third stolen base in the process. He's been playing well since returning from the IL and is hitting .299/.399/.529 for the campaign.
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Miguel Amaya C | CHC
Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Productive in win Sunday
Amaya went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Angels.
Amaya has been seeing less playing time recently, with the newly signed Tomas Nido seemingly taking over as Chicago's top catcher. The 25-year-old Amaya still has some upside, but after hitting .214 in 53 games last year as a rookie he's batting only .194 this season. If he can't get his bat going a bit more, Amaya will likely stick in a reserve role, which caps his fantasy value.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Receiving breather Sunday
Contreras is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Contreras started the past 12 games after missing one contest due to a head injury, and he'll take a seat Sunday after he posted a .319/.396/.468 slash line during that stretch. It's just his fourth game out of the lineup this season. Eric Haase will step in behind the plate to catch for veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Retreating to bench Sunday
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Though Luis Campusano was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Higashioka started behind the plate in the Padres' first two games of the series against Arizona. Higashioka will take a seat for Sunday's day game, but his usage earlier in the week could indicate that he'll retain the No. 1 job ahead of Campusano, even though the latter player is now healthy. Over his last 12 games, Higashioka has hit .310 with seven extra-base hits (five home runs, one triple, one double) and three walks.
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Lamar King C | SD
Padres' Lamar King: Getting on base in rookie ball
King (shoulder) was cleared to make his season debut in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on May 13 and is slashing .271/.386/.353 with zero home runs or stolen bases across 101 plate appearances over 26 games.
King's 2024 season was slightly delayed while he completed his recovery from right shoulder surgery, which he underwent in October. The 20-year-old catcher is regarded as a strong defender behind the plate, but as his production thus far in rookie ball illustrates, he doesn't bring much fantasy juice to the table.