MLB Player News

Barnhart is out of the lineup against the White Sox on Tuesday.

Barnhart will get a standard breather following a pair of starts as Curt Casali sets up to catch Anthony DeSclafani. Over his past 12 games, Barnhart is hitting .311/.407/.422 with seven RBI. Look for him to rejoin the starting nine Wednesday.

Diaz will make his 10th straight start at catcher while batting cleanup Monday against the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old is batting .281 with one homer and six RBI since taking over for Francisco Cervelli (concussion) on a full-time basis. For the season, Diaz is slashing .294/.341/.484 with six homers and 21 RBI in 138 plate appearances. General manager Neal Huntington said on his Sunday radio show that while Cervelli is making good progress, the team will continue taking a conservative approach with his recovery. As a result, look for Diaz to start nearly every game until Cervelli returns.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Rockies.

Barnes made his third start over the Dodgers' last four contests. Two of those games have come against southpaws, and Sunday's was the result of Yasmani Grandal sitting out a day game following a night game. The catching situation in Los Angeles appears to be that of a traditional platoon, but neither catcher is batting above .230, so Barnes could certainly earn more playing time if his bat heats up.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI Sunday against the Padres.

Diaz has gotten consistent playing time since Francisco Cervelli landed on the disabled list (concussion) and has been productive. In his time as the primary backstop, Diaz has gone 9-for-32 with a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. Cervelli has resumed workouts, so Diaz's time as a full-time player may be coming to an end, though that could change if Cervelli is dealt prior to the trade deadline.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Twins.

Contreras batted seventh in this one, which is more of a reflection of the depth of Chicago's lineup than his performance to date, as the young catcher now has a solid .275 average and .805 OPS on the season. Contreras should continue to be one of the top options at his position in all fantasy formats.

Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a two strikeouts in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets.

Realmuto was the only Marlin to manage multiple hits on the afternoon, as Miami's offense really couldn't find a groove Sunday. The 27-year-old backstop is now batting .309 on the year with 32 extra-base hits and 35 RBI. Even in a relatively weak Marlins lineup, Realmuto remains one of the league's best fantasy catchers.

Grandal is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies.

With a 4-for-35 mark at the plate over his last 12 appearances, Grandal will head to the bench for the third time in four games. Backup Austin Barnes has largely struggled this season with a .214/.340/.270 line across 150 plate appearances, so he'll probably need to string together several quality performances in a row before supplanting Grandal as the Dodgers' top option behind the plate.

Mesoraco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

After three consecutive starts behind the plate, Mesoraco will be relieved by Kevin Plawecki, who is batting seventh in the order.

Barnhart is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Milwaukee.

Barnhart will get Saturday afternoon off after going 1-for-4 with a strikeout to extend his modest hitting streak to six games, though he only has a .231/.286/.385 line in that stretch. Curt Casali will start behind the plate and bat eighth in his stead.

Grandal is not in the lineup against Colorado on Friday, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Grandal will remain on the bench for a second straight game and third time in the past four days as Austin Barnes gets the start for the series opener. Across 19 games in June, Grandal is hitting just .169/.206/.338 and will continue to cede time to Barnes against southpaws moving forward.