MLB Player News

Grandal (back) went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run with two walks in a rehab appearance with Double-A Birmingham on Friday.

Grandal was in the lineup for the second consecutive game with Birmingham, and he served as the designated hitter on each occasion. He's gone 3-for-6 with four walks in his two starts, but he is still expected to remain on his rehab assignment through the All-Star break.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 12-5 loss to the Yankees.

Vazquez continued a hot stretch with another three hits. He's hit safely in 13 of 14 games since June 21, slashing .400/.464/.560 with five RBI and seven runs scored.

Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in an 8-3 win over the Athletics on Friday.

Maldonado's three-run home run gives him eight long balls on the year to go along with 21 RBI. The 35-year-old catcher has put together a couple of good games in a row. In his previous game played against the Royals, he went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. The veteran has never hit more than 14 homers in a previous season and is a career .208 hitter.

Garver will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his injured flexor tendon Monday but will be available for the team's current series against the Twins, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Although Garver will require a season-ending procedure after dealing with a flexor issue over the last few months, the Rangers will allow him to play against his former team this weekend prior to being shut down for the season. Once the 31-year-old undergoes surgery, Jonah Heim should serve as the Rangers' primary catcher, while Brad Miller should see an uptick in playing time as the designated hitter.

Bart is starting Friday's game against San Diego, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bart was called up by the Giants on Wednesday and will be in the lineup for a third consecutive game Friday. Over the last two games, he's gone 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a strikeout.

Wynns isn't starting Friday's game against the Padres, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Wynns is out of the lineup for a third consecutive game and appears to have lost out on the primary catcher role following Joey Bart's recall. Bart is starting behind the dish and batting eighth Friday.

Contreras (hamstring) isn't starting Friday against the Dodgers.

Contreras continues to deal with a tight left hamstring and will be excluded from the lineup for a fourth consecutive game. Yan Gomes will be behind the plate while David Bote serves as the designated hitter.

Raleigh will sit Friday against Toronto.

The Mariners rotated their three catchers heavily early in the season, but Raleigh has handled a very heavy workload lately with Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy both out with shoulder injuries. Raleigh started nine of the last 10 games heading into Friday's contest, but it will be Andrew Knapp behind the plate Friday.

Perez isn't in the lineup Friday against the Brewers.

Perez has gone 0-for-8 with a strikeout over his last three games and will sit for the second time in the last three matchups. Jason Delay is starting behind the dish and batting ninth.

Heineman (personal) was transferred to the family medical emergency list from the paternity list Friday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Heineman has been away from the team since Tuesday while on paternity leave, and he needs some more time with his family before rejoining the active roster. It's unclear when the 31-year-old is expected to rejoin the team. Jason Delay should continue to serve as Pittsburgh's backup to Michael Perez in the meantime.