MLB Player News

Hedges was placed on the bereavement list prior to Friday's game against the Braves, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

He must miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven games. Austin Allen was recalled from Triple-A to assume the backup catcher duties in the short term. Francisco Mejia will start at catcher and hit sixth Friday.

Realmuto will return from the paternity list Saturday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto got to spend some time with his wife and newborn daughter at the end of the All-Star break, so he'll be away from the team for just a single game. His return will push Andrew Knapp back to the bench and will likely send Rob Brantly back to the minors.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

Gomes and Kurt Suzuki split time evenly over the last 20 games of the first half, each starting 10 times. Suzuki gets the call for the first game of the second half.

Realmuto was placed on the paternity list Friday.

Players can spend up to three days on the paternity list, so expect Realmuto back with the team no later than Monday. Andrew Knapp will be the primary catcher in his absence, with Rob Brantly called up to be the backup.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

Diaz finished the first half with a passable batting average but not much else, posting a .274/.327/.352 slash line with one homer in 56 games. Jacob Stallings caught Chris Archer's last seven starts prior to the break and will do so again Friday.

Jackson went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and six RBI for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

The 23-year-old now has 17 homers on the season for Gwinnett, leaving him two shy of tying his previous career high in the minors. Jackson's .229/.321/.526 slash line and 17:68 BB:K through 55 games mark him as a fairly one-dimensional player, though, and he might never be anything more than a depth catching option or utility bench player in the big leagues.

Contreras will sit Friday against the Pirates.

Contreras finished the first half with an excellent .286/.381/.556 slash line. He rarely catches Friday's starter Yu Darvish, however, so he'll sit for the first game of the second half in favor of Victor Caratini.

Knizner was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Knizner is needed again as the Cardinals' backup catcher after Yadier Molina returned to the injured list with a strained thumb tendon. Knizner has gone 0-for-7 in his first two big-league games but owns a solid .277/.360/.421 slash line for Memphis this season. He'll likely be stuck on the bench behind Matt Wieters for most games until Molina returns.

Stallings figures to stick in the big leagues following the announcement that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) will no longer catch in the major leagues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

The 29-year-old, who is out of options, cleared waivers earlier in the season. He would likely take over starting duties in the event of injury to Elias Diaz. While Diaz will start behind the plate, Stallings has showed unexpected offense (.327 in 52 at-bats) in his limited play. He's caught Joe Musgrove's last three starts and continues to play an increasing role with the team -- he's started five of the team's last 11 contests. Stallings is considered a defense-first backstop, but he did slash .265/.317/.408 in parts of four Triple-A campaigns.

Diaz is expected to serve as the Pirates' starting catcher following the announcement that Francisco Cervelli (concussion) will no longer serve as a catcher in the major leagues, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Diaz, who's started since late May when Cervelli was concussed, will likely handle the bulk of catching duties with Jacob Stallings backing him up. Although he's hit one just homer after belting 10 in 2018, Diaz is slashing .311/.367/.407 in his last 150 plate appearances. His defense has fallen off, however. Last year, Diaz compiled a minus-2 DRS. This year, he ranks 68th out of 70 catchers (minimum of 100 innings played) with a minus-11 DRS, trailing both Stallings (plus-4 DRS) and Cervelli (plus-1 DRS). For that reason, Diaz could lose some playing time to Stallings in defensive situations.