MLB Player News

Grandal went 1-for-3 with his 21st home run of the season in Friday's 11-1 win over Seattle.

Grandal got a rare start against a lefty, and he responded with just his second homer from the right side of the plate this season. The 29-year-old is batting just .205 against southpaws compared to .261 with 19 long balls against righties, but Friday's power showing could earn him additional starts against left-handed starters down the stretch.

Contreras is not in the lineup against Pittsburgh on Friday.

Contreras will receive a standard day off after starting the past seven games, during which he went 3-for-22 (.136 average) with one RBI. In his absence, Victor Caratini will handle the catching duties and bat seventh.

Grullon's 1.148 OPS since the start of July is the fourth highest among all minor-league hitters, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

It's been quite the season at the plate for the 22-year-old catcher. After posting an OPS below .700 for five straight seasons, Grullon's reputation seemed to have been locked in as a glove-first backup catcher at best. Suddenly, he's hit .299/.337/.574 with 21 homers for Double-A Reading this year. Reading has been known to inflate the stats of mediocre hitters, but Grullon had already had one shot at the level and hit just .229/.270/.410. If the offensive improvements stick upon a presumed promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley next season, Grullon has a chance to be a long-term starting catcher in the major leagues.

Plawecki went 4-for-4, falling a home run short of the cycle with three RBI, three runs scored and two walks in Thursday's 24-4 win over Philadelphia in the first game of the doubleheader.

One day after knocking a grand slam, Plawecki kept swinging a hot bat Thursday. With just 151 at-bats on the year, Thursday's game brought his season average from .218 to .238 along with 23 RBI and 16 extra-base knocks.

Stallings was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Francisco Cervelli is back to full health, so Stallings will head back to the minors after a four-day stay with the big club during which he failed to make an appearance. The 28-year-old, who is hitting .284/.333/.408 with Triple-A Indianapolis, will continue to serve as organizational catching depth.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies.

Mesoraco will stick on the bench for a third straight game as Kevin Plawecki, who went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's win, picks up another start behind the dish. The backstop is hitting just .220/.302/.381 through 74 games this season.

Plawecki went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Wednesday's win over the Orioles.

Plawecki scored in the sixth inning after being hit by a pitch, and he all but ended the game with his grand salami later in the inning. The backstop is still hitting just .218/.326/.374 this season, so he'll likely stick in a timeshare with Devin Mesoraco for the time being.

Grandal is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants.

Grandal, who is hitting just .162/.279/.432 through 11 games this month, will head to the bench with a southpaw in Derek Holland toeing the rubber for the Giants. Austin Barnes will set up behind the dish and hit eighth in his stead.

Ruiz went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI for Double-A Tulsa in its 10-6 loss to Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

It was the third multi-homer game of the campaign for Ruiz, whose 11 long balls are his most in any of his four seasons in the professional ranks. The switch-hitting Ruiz has paired the enhanced power production with improved plate discipline, as he's walked nearly as many times (22) as he has struck out (28). The 20-year-old has also drawn positive reviews for his receiving skills, offering optimism that he'll eventually be the Dodgers' long-term solution behind the plate.

Diaz will serve as a designated hitter and bat sixth Wednesday against the Twins.

With Starling Marte out for an undisclosed reason, a spot opened up for the catcher. Diaz is slashing .293/.341/.462 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 226 plate appearances.