MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the lineup Saturday against San Francisco.

Grandal is hitting just .176 over his last 24 games, though he's walked enough and shown enough power to have a respectable .749 OPS over that stretch. Manny Pina will take over behind the plate Saturday.

Realmuto was reinstated from the paternity list Saturday.

Realmuto wound up missing just a single game to start the second half. He finished the first half with a solid .273/.328/.438 slash line, slightly behind his numbers from the last two seasons despite a big upgrade in his home park. Rob Brantly was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

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.