MLB Player News

Stubbs will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Mets.

Stubbs will make a second straight start while J.T. Realmuto is day-to-day with a knee injury. The Phillies expect Realmuto to avoid a stint on the injured list, but with Tuesday's game beginning at 1:10 p.m. ET, the team could opt to hold him out for another contest while giving Stubbs another turn behind the plate.

Realmuto (knee) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto will be on the bench for a second straight game with what the Phillies are characterizing as right knee soreness. The veteran backstop said he first picked up the injury while legging out a triple in the Phillies' May 4 game against the Giants, and his knee hasn't improved in the week since. Neither Realmuto nor the Phillies are concerned yet about him requiring a stint on the injured list, though that could be a stronger possibility if he's not able to return to the lineup within the next couple of days. Garrett Stubbs will fill in for Realmuto behind the plate Monday.

Bethancourt will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Tigers.

Bethancourt will draw his third time in four games, with the playing time behind the dish beginning to tilt more in his favor while he's wielded a hot bat of late. Over his last four starts, Bethancourt has gone 6-for-13 at the plate, but he's still holding down a lowly .346 OPS on the season. That mark is right in line with Nick Fortes' (.345), so as soon as Bethancourt cools off, the two backstops could settle back into more of a timeshare.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.

Fortes will sit for the second day in a row and the third time in four games while Christian Bethancourt gets another turn behind the plate. The Marlins have gotten minimal production from both of their catchers for most of the season, but Bethancourt has shown some semblance of life at the dish of late, going 6-for-13 with two doubles over his last four games. That may be enough to give him the edge on playing time for now over Fortes, who has turned in a .345 OPS over 78 plate appearances on the season.

Bailey was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Reds due to a viral illness, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey was a late removal from the team's lineup ahead of their series finale with Cincinnati, which is now understood to have been the result of an illness. If the catcher is forced to miss any further time, Blake Sabol will likely operate as the team's exclusive catcher.

Bailey has been scratched from the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Reds, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bailey was set to start at DH and bat in the cleanup spot, but he has since been removed from the lineup. Wilmer Flores will take over as the designated hitter Sunday and will bat fourth against Reds right-hander Frankie Montas.

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

D'Arnaud will get a breather Sunday after starting in each of the last four games. He's gone 4-for-18 in May but has registered a hit in each of his last three contests. Chadwick Tromp will start behind the plate and bat ninth against Mets right-hander Luis Severino.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Giants.

Stephenson started behind the plate in each of the first two games of the series, going 1-for-7 with one walk and three strikeouts. Luke Maile will start at catcher for the series finale Sunday, while Mike Ford serves as the designated hitter.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The timeshare behind the plate continues for the Marlins, as neither Fortes nor Christian Bethancourt has performed well enough to gain separation from one another in the job battle. The two have now alternated turns behind the plate over the past eight games, with Bethancourt getting the nod Sunday.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Grandal had started at catcher both of the past two days, so he's likely just sitting out Sunday for maintenance purposes as the Pirates and Cubs wrap up their series with an afternoon game. Joey Bart will replace Grandal behind the dish.