MLB Player News

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-3 loss to Milwaukee.

Murphy's playing time has been dropping in the second half -- he's gone just 3-for-15 with five walks over five games since the All-Star break. The catcher's homer came in garbage time Monday. He's up to six long balls, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, three doubles and a .210/.295/.379 slash line through 38 contests this season. Until Murphy finds more consistency at the plate, Travis d'Arnaud will continue to eat into his playing time.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.

Though he'll be on the bench Monday, d'Arnaud had started at catcher in three of the past four games and may have moved into a near-even timeshare with Sean Murphy. D'Arnaud is currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's slugged two home runs and has drawn three walks. Murphy, meanwhile, has gone 2-for-19 with no extra-base hits over his last seven games, with his struggles prompting manager Brian Snitker to increasingly favor the hotter bat of the two catchers.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Alvarez is absent from Monday's lineup versus the Twins due to left shoulder soreness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mendoz said Alvarez will be available off the bench, though he would prefer to give his top catcher the full day off before returning him to the lineup Tuesday. Luis Torrens will draw the start behind the dish Monday.

The Reds placed Wynns on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right teres major tear.

Per Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Wynns sustained the injury at some point in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Rays, which may explain in part why Tampa Bay went 4-for-4 on stolen-base attempts while the catcher was behind the dish. Even if Wynns doesn't require surgery to address the injury, he'll likely be sidelined for beyond the minimum 10 days, and he could even be at risk of missing the rest of the season. The Reds called up Eric Yang from Triple-A Louisville to replace Wynns on the active roster as the backup to No. 1 catcher Tyler Stephenson.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.

Contreras opened the scoring with his first-inning blast off Washington starter DJ Herz. This was Contreras' second game in a row with a homer, and he's gone deep three times over nine contests since the All-Star break. The steady catcher is up to 13 long balls, 29 RBI, 37 runs scored and three stolen bases while slashing .274/.394/.519 through 60 games this season.

Ruiz is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Cardinals.

Ruiz will get a breather Sunday after going 2-for-11 across the first two games of the series while hitting a three-run home run in Saturday's 14-3 win. Riley Adams will start at catcher and bat eighth.

Fortes is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Brewers.

Fortes will get a breather after going 4-for-7 with one RBI and two runs scored over the first two games of the series. Ali Sanchez will start behind home plate and bat ninth.

Smith is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against Houston.

Smith will get a breather Sunday after going 0-for-8 with five strikeouts over the first two games of the series. Austin Barnes will start behind home plate and bat eighth against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.

Murphy is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mets.

Murphy will sit Sunday for the second time in three games. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Mets. Travis d'Arnaud will start behind home plate and bat fifth.

Realmuto is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Guardians.

Realmuto will take a breather Sunday after going 0-for-8 with one run scored across the first two games of the series. Garrett Stubbs will start behind home plate and bat ninth against Cleveland southpaw Joey Cantillo.