MLB Player News

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run -- his seventh of the season -- in the Dodgers' 2-1 loss to the Giants on Saturday.

He provided the only offense for the scuffling Dodgers, lifting a Madison Bumgarner offering over the left-field wall in the eighth inning to break up the shutout. Barnes, who's slashing .284/.407/.471 across 246 plate appearances, appears to be eating into more of the struggling Yasmani Grandal's playing time. He appears well worth a fantasy add in two-catcher fantasy leagues, or even in formats where it pays to stream.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal will get the day off after starting three of the last four games behind the dish for the Dodgers, going 2-for-11 with a homer over that stretch. In his place, Austin Barnes will start at catcher and bat sixth.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

D'Arnaud has been on fire of late, hitting three home runs and driving in seven over his last three games, but he is just 4-for-16 with six strikeouts in his career against Saturday's opposing starter Stephen Strasburg, so he will be held out in favor of Kevin Plawecki.

D'Arnaud homered twice and drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 game Friday against the Nationals.

This marks the second time d'Arnaud has launched two homers in 2017, and remarkably enough, both came against the Nationals. He now has 15 home runs, good for a career high. The catcher's batting line sits at .245/.292/.442 as his power numbers have been the brightest spot of an otherwise mediocre season.

Contreras is not in the lineup against the Brewers on Friday.

Contreras receives a standard day off following Thursday's start, going 0-for-4 at the plate during the Cubs' victory. He also took a foul ball off the right knee during the series opener, which caused him to limp around in pain for a short period of time. Although he remained in the game, manager Joe Maddon is likely giving Contreras the night off partially due to this happenstance. In his place, Alex Avila will set up at catcher and bat fifth in the order.

The Reds signed Barnhart to a four-year, $16 million extension Friday with a $7.5 million club option in 2022 ($500,000 buyout), Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

He also received a $1.75 million signing bonus. Barnhart's chief value rests outside the fantasy realm, as he's thrown out 44 percent of the runners trying to steal a base on him this year. That's the best percentage in the National League and the second-highest in the majors, per Sheldon. He's been a valuable backup to talented but injury-prone Devin Mesoraco, and Barnhart now lines up to be in the Reds' plans, in some form, for the next few years.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Hedges receives a breather following a pair of starts behind the plate for the first two games of this series. In his place, Rocky Gale will handle the catching duties.

Grandal is out of the lineup against the Phillies on Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Grandal gets the day off following a 1-for-3 performance with a solo home run during Tuesday's game. Austin Barnes will handle the catching duties while batting sixth in the order.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup against the Marlins on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Following a pair of starts behind the plate, d'Arnaud will grab a seat on the bench for Wednesday's series finale while Kevin Plawecki handles the catching duties. Since the beginning of the month, d'Arnaud is hitting .293/.333/.610 with three home runs and nine RBI.

Realmuto is not in the lineup against the Mets on Wednesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto will receive a standard day off after going 3-for-5 with one home run and a double during Tuesday's comeback victory. In his place, AJ Ellis sets up behind the plate to catch Jose Urena.