MLB Player News

Hedges (elbow) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with High-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Hedges has been on the shelf since the end of April with an elbow injury. It's unclear how many rehab appearances Hedges will need to make before rejoining the big club, but the Padres figure to proceed cautiously with the backstop given he was pulled off his previous rehab stint after aggravating the issue.

Murphy is slashing .295/.366/.656 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI through 48 games with Triple-A Albuquerque this season.

When the Rockies signed Chris Iannetta over the offseason, it effectively put Murphy and Tony Wolters into a competition to be the backup backstop for Colorado. Wolters won the job out of spring training, but things may have worked out better for Murphy as a result. He's striking out over nine percent less at Triple-A than last season, and he's walking at his highest rate since 2015. To add onto that, the .360 ISO he produced to start the season is his best mark at any level with more than 50 plate appearances. Iannetta and Wolters are better receivers behind the plate, but Murphy offers significantly more upside with the bat. With nothing more to prove at Triple-A, the 27-year-old may get a shot at big-league catching duties at some point later this season, especially if the Rockies fall out of playoff contention.

Barnhart went 1-for-3 with one RBI, two walks and a run scored during Sunday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals.

Barnhart drove in Billy Hamilton with a single to right field in the fourth inning to tie the score at two. The 27-year-old backstop has put together a .255/.341/.365 batting line with a .706 OPS through 55 games this season.

Plawecki is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Now that Devin Mesoraco has recovered from a hamstring injury that briefly sidelined him, he'll step in behind the plate for the second time in three games. Mesoraco's sketchy track record on the health front the last few seasons likely means he won't be asked to handle a full workload at catcher, so Plawecki should still see his fair share of action in the timeshare. While he lacks Mesoraco's power upside, Plawecki's impressive plate discipline -- he sports a 19.0 BB% for the season -- gives him increased utility in leagues that count on-base percentage rather than batting average as a category.

Grandal is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Grandal will retreat to the bench for a day of rest following three consecutive starts behind the plate in which he went a combined 2-for-13 with two homers and six strikeouts. Austin Barnes draws the start in his stead.

Stallings was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Stallings will give the Pirates additional catching depth following Francisco Cervelli's removal from Saturday's contest with an apparent jaw injury. Stallings was slashing .294/.341/.399 in 40 games played with Indianapolis.

Contreras is not in the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

Contreras will retreat to the bench after making consecutive starts over the past two days, going 3-for-8 with two strikeouts. Chris Gimenez draws the start in his stead.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs to help the Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Braves on Friday.

Grandal had been slumping coming into this contest with just three hits in June, but he broke out with this multi-homer effort that bumped him up to 11 long balls on the season. His batting average was bound to come down to earth eventually, but even if he stays around the .249 mark he's currently posting throughout the season, Grandal's power-hitting abilities and career .339 on-base percentage suggest he'll remain a fantasy asset at a shallow position.

Plawecki is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Plawecki started the last four games -- including one start at first base -- and went 3-for-16 with six strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. Devin Mesoraco was nursing a hamstring injury most of the week, but returns to the lineup Friday to give Plawecki the night off.

Mesoraco (hamstring) is starting at catcher and batting fifth against the Yankees on Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mesoraco experienced tightness in his hamstring following Sunday's game against the Cubs and had not returned to the lineup all week. The 29-year-old has a .218/.301/.436 slash line in 101 at-bats this season. Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound for the Yankees on Friday.