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Francisco Mejia C | TB
Rays' Francisco Mejia: Out of Sunday's lineup
Mejia is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mejia and Rene Pinto have alternated starts over the past eight games, and that trend will continue Sunday after Mejia went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run during Saturday's contest. Pinto will bat eighth in the series finale.
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Nick Fortes C | TB
Marlins' Nick Fortes: Angling for more playing time
Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Though he'll be taking a seat Sunday, Fortes started behind the plate in two of the past three contests and may be moving into a timeshare at catcher with Jacob Stallings. While Stallings is the superior defender, Fortes has been far more effective at the plate across his 64 plate appearances on the campaign. After going 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 loss, Fortes' slash line now sits at .273/.375/.509 for the season.
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Tucker Barnhart C | TEX
Tigers' Tucker Barnhart: Not starting Sunday
Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Barnhart is 4-for-14 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs over his past five contests and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Eric Haase will step in behind the plate for Tampa Bay.
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James McCann C | ARI
Mets' James McCann: Out Sunday, gets MRI
McCann (side) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Unsurprisingly, McCann will take a seat for the series finale after he exited Saturday's 5-4 win with left side discomfort. According to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, McCann underwent an MRI on Sunday, and the Mets won't have a clear sense if his injury is a day-to-day concern or something that might result in a trip to the injured list until the results are available. Tomas Nido will step in for McCann behind the dish Sunday.
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Travis d'Arnaud C | LAA
Braves' Travis d'Arnaud: Resting Sunday
D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
D'Arnaud will take a seat for the second time in the series, getting some extra maintenance in a day game after a night game. With a .966 OPS since June 1, d'Arnaud still appears secure as Atlanta's preferred catcher, but William Contreras -- who gets the nod behind the plate Sunday -- has proven deserving of at least a part-time role and should continue to draw a handful of starts per week at catcher or designated hitter.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Twins' Gary Sanchez: Two-run homer in loss
Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's loss against the Rangers.
Sanchez knocked in Gio Urshela in the fourth inning to give Minnesota a short-lived 5-3 lead. In five appearances in July, the catcher has three hits, but he also has struck out exactly one time in each game. He has 73 strikeouts versus 53 hits on the year. Despite his strikeout woes, Saturday's one-hit outing helped raise his batting average to .221.
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Willson Contreras 1B | BOS
Cubs' Willson Contreras: Comes up empty Saturday
Contreras (hamstring) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Contreras missed four games with a tight left hamstring, and it appears his timing was a bit off in his return. The 30-year-old could continue to see some time as the designated hitter as he works back to full strength. He hit .333 with a home run, four doubles, seven RBI and six runs scored in 10 games prior to his injury, so it shouldn't take the catcher long to regain his momentum at the plate.
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James McCann C | ARI
Mets' James McCann: Exits with left side discomfort
McCann left Saturday's game against the Marlins with discomfort in his left side and will undergo tests Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Whether the injury is merely soreness or a strain serious enough to send McCann to the injured list should become clearer after the tests. Tomas Nido would be in line for a starting role behind the plate if McCann winds up being forced to miss time.
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Willson Contreras 1B | BOS
Cubs' Willson Contreras: Back as DH
Contreras (hamstring) is serving as the designated hitter and hitting second Saturday against the Dodgers.
Contreras has missed the team's last four games due to a tight left hamstring. Yan Gomes will remain behind the dish, with David Bote heading to the bench.