MLB Player News

Murphy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets.

Travis d'Arnaud will start at catcher and bat seventh after Murphy went 0-for-8 with two strikeouts between Sunday's series finale against the Giants and Monday's series opener versus New York. Despite the recent struggles, Murphy still boasts an overall .903 OPS in 362 total plate appearances this season with the runaway NL East leaders.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 11-1 loss to the Pirates.

Knizner's fifth-inning blast was all the offense the Cardinals could put on the board. He reached the 10-homer mark for the first time in his career, and five of them have come in 17 games since the All-Star break, a span in which he's hitting .345 (19-for-55). The catcher has added 28 RBI, 26 runs scored, eight doubles, one stolen base and a .267/.313/.497 slash line over 52 contests this year.

Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Cardinals.

Rodriguez was on the basepaths all night, collecting three singles and drawing a walk in Pittsburgh's blowout victory. In 29 games since earning the promotion from Triple-A on July 17, the rookie catcher has posted a slash line of .267/.337/.430 with two home runs, eight RBI and 13 runs scored across 95 plate appearances. Rodriguez has showcased an impressive average exit velocity of 90.4 mph and an above-average walk rate of 9.5 percent. However, his 27.4 percent strikeout rate may impact his overall productivity.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez is on the bench for the second game in a row, but the Mets haven't suggested that the young backstop is dealing with an injury. Instead, Alvarez's consecutive absences are likely part of a predetermined management plan, as manager Buck Showalter acknowledged over the weekend that the Mets intend to keep a close eye on the 21-year-old's workload heading into the final month of the season, per James O'Connell of the New York Daily News. Alvarez is still expected to remain the Mets' nominal No. 1 catcher down the stretch, though veteran Omar Narvaez could end up cracking the lineup more frequently than he has been for most of the season.

Stephenson entered as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's 10-3 loss to Toronto.

Stephenson homered as a pinch hitter for Luke Maile in the seventh inning and finished out the game behind the plate. The blast was Stephenson's ninth and first in 12 games. The Reds primary catcher has hits in four straight games but has struggled overall since the All-Star break, recording a .203/.276/.304 line over 25 contests.

Amaya went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Royals.

Amaya saw his first playing time in a week and made the most of it, blasting his fourth home run of the season in the eighth inning, which ended up being the deciding run. With the Cubs in the thick of a pennant race, veteran catcher Yan Gomes will likely see the bulk of the playing time moving forward, with Amaya capable of producing when called upon. The backup role limits the 24-year-old's fantasy outlook, at least for this year.

Realmuto is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

He'll head to the bench Sunday as the Phillies wrap up their three-game series versus Washington with a matchup in Williamsport, Pa. for the MLB Little League Classic. Garrett Stubbs checks in behind the dish in place of Realmuto, who went 4-for-9 with a double, two RBI and two runs between the first two games of the series.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Diaz looks to be receiving routine maintenance after he went 4-for-10 with a home run, a stolen base and four RBI while starting behind the plate in both of the first two games of the series with Chicago. Austin Wynns will catch for starting pitcher Chris Flexen on Sunday.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Texas.

Contreras went 4-for-10 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs in the first two games of the series versus the Rangers, but he'll receive a well-deserved day off for the finale after making 36 straight starts. Victor Caratini will take over behind the plate and bat seventh Sunday.

Gomes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Royals.

Gomes started the first two games of the series against Kansas City and will take a seat for the finale after going 3-for-7 with a double, a walk and two runs. Miguel Amaya will step in behind the plate Sunday and bat ninth.