MLB Player News

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.

Murphy is hitting just .227/.253/.398 across 31 games with the Rockies this season -- and just .152/.188/.370 in 19 games since the start of July -- so he'll head back to the minors for more seasoning. With Murphy out of the picture for the time being, Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters will split time behind the dish for the Rockies.

Caratini is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Tuesday's game against the Royals.

With regular catcher Willson Contreras getting a breather after three straight starts, Caratini will slot in to face Kansas City right-hander Brad Keller. The 24-year-old has a mediocre .634 OPS this season with no home runs and 10 RBI in 45 games, so he hasn't moved the needle much in fantasy leagues.

Contreras is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Royals.

Contreras will give way to Victor Caratini behind the dish following three straight starts. The backstop is off to a nice start to the month, slashing .333/.429/.556 with one homer and three RBI through five games.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Reds, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mesoraco will sit for a second straight game after catching all 10 innings during Sunday's loss to the Braves. Kevin Plawecki will once again start behind the dish.

Plawecki went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Reds.

He's hitting only .220 (11-for-50) since the beginning of July, and Plawecki remains stuck in a timeshare with Devin Mesoraco behind the plate for the Mets. Expect the arrangement to continue until one of them heats up enough to seize a majority of the starts.

Murphy is not starting Monday against the Pirates, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Murphy started the last four games of July, but that stretch represents the only time a Rockies catcher has started back-to-back games since July 10. Chris Iannetta will get the start Monday.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Mesoraco won't get the chance to start against his former team in the first game of the series. Kevin Plawecki will get the nod behind the plate.

Mesoraco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Braves.

His ninth-inning shot off A.J. Minter sent the game into extra innings, but Atlanta quickly added another run in the top of the 10th to undo Mesoraco's heroics. The catcher now has nine homers and a .693 OPS in 71 games this season.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto has started 21 straight games, and he will get a much-deserved day off for the series finale at Philadelphia. Bryan Holaday will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Marlins on Sunday.

Plawecki is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

The Mets have deployed more of a timeshare behind the plate of late, allowing Plawecki to encroach on Devin Mesoraco's workload as the team's primary catcher. While Mesoraco will check in behind the plate for the series finale, Plawecki's slight uptick in opportunities -- he had started four of the Mets' previous six games -- makes him someone to monitor for those in deeper two-catcher mixed or NL-only leagues.