MLB Player News

D'Arnaud (lower leg) isn't starting Friday's game against the Marlins.

D'Arnaud was expected to be available to rejoin the lineup for Atlanta's four-game series in Miami this weekend, but he'll be held out of the lineup once again for the series opener. William Contreras is starting behind the plate and batting fifth.

Mejia is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mejia will get a day off after he went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers. Christian Bethancourt will take over at catcher and bat seventh in the series opener.

Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Thursday against the Rangers.

Maldonado went yard in the second inning to open the scoring for Houston. He now has 12 homers on the season, four of which have come in his last 18 games. Despite Houston's acquisition of Christian Vazquez, Maldonado has started seven out of the 10 games since the trade deadline, but even with his relatively strong recent stretch he's still slashing only .187/.252/.370 across 285 plate appearances on the season.

Grandal went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Royals.

Grandal took Jose Cuas yard in the eighth inning to tally his third homer of the season. It was his first long ball since May 16, and he has only four extra-base hits -- including Thursday's effort -- across 123 at-bats in that span. That has led to a disappointing .204/.300/.265 line for Grandal across 263 plate appearances on the season.

Casali (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Casali was dealt to the Mariners at the trade deadline but has yet to make his debut with the team. Cal Raleigh is likely to remain the top catcher for Seattle, though Casali will get plate appearances as the backup after Luis Torrens was designated for assignment. Across 126 plate appearances on the season, Casali is hitting .231/325/.370 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

Diaz (hand) will likely require a trip to the injured list after an MRI revealed ligament damage, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Diaz suffered his hand injury while swinging during Wednesday's loss to St. Louis and isn't dealing with any broken bones, but he'll likely miss at least a week and a half due to the ligament damage. If he's ultimately placed on the IL, Dom Nunez will likely be called up to provide additional help behind the dish alongside Brian Serven.

Wynns went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in Wednesday's 13-7 loss to the Padres.

This was Wynns' first multi-hit effort since June 21. The catcher has seen his playing time drop lately, but he could see a short-term boost, depending on how long Joey Bart needs to recover from a minor ankle sprain. Wynns' .224/.295/.294 slash line through 96 plate appearances will likely keep him in a backup role once Bart is ready to reclaim the starting role behind the plate.

Godoy (illness) is starting at catcher and batting eighth Thursday versus the Diamondbacks.

Godoy is ready to go for Thursday's contest after missing a few games while dealing with heat illness and cramping. He's gone 0-for-5 with two walks and two runs scored in two games with the Pirates since being claimed by the team Aug. 5.

Diaz (hand) isn't starting Thursday against the Cardinals.

Diaz sustained a hand injury on a swing during Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals and will be excluded from the lineup for the series finale. The results of his MRI aren't yet known, but Brian Serven will start behind the dish and bat ninth Thursday.

Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Rangers.

Vazquez will be on the bench for a second straight game. He has gone 2-for-12 with no extra-base hits since joining the Astros at the beginning of the month. Martin Maldonado will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus Texas.