MLB Player News

Realmuto will start at catcher and bat cleanup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Realmuto will bat out of the cleanup spot for the eighth game in a row after he went 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits -- a triple and a double -- to go with a stolen base, two RBI and run in Tuesday's 3-2 win. Over the previous seven contests, he's slashing .310/.355/.552 with a home run, seven RBI and three stolen bases.

Contreras isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, a walk and a strikeout in Tuesday's loss to the Twins, but he'll retreat to the bench for the second time in the last three games. Robinson Chirinos will start at catcher and bat sixth.

Jeffers will start at catcher and bat seventh Wednesday against the Cubs.

Though he'll get the starting nod behind the dish in the series finale in Chicago, Jeffers is expected to see a drop in playing time over the final week and a half of the season after No. 1 backstop Mitch Garver was reinstated from the injured list Tuesday. While Garver was on the shelf, Jeffers slashed .156/.206/.281 with two home runs, seven runs and five RBI over a stretch of 21 games.

Garver is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Garver returned from a month-long stay on the injured list to start behind the plate in Tuesday's 9-5 win, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. He's expected to serve as Minnesota's No. 1 catcher for the final week and a half of the season, but Garver will cede his spot in the lineup Wednesday to Ryan Jeffers.

Sanchez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Sanchez will get a breather after he went 1-for-7 with a solo home run, a walk and two strikeouts across the last two games. Kyle Higashioka will start at catcher and bat eighth.

Heim isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Heim has gone 0-for-11 with an RBI, a stolen base and five strikeouts across his last three appearances, and he'll be out of the lineup for a second straight game. Jose Trevino will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Ruiz is getting some routine maintenance for the series finale in Miami after he started behind the plate in four of the Nationals' last five games. Alex Avila will step in for Ruiz, who has gone 11-for-21 with six RBI and four runs in his most recent five starts.

Kirk is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Kirk will get a breather for the matinee game after catching both of the first two contests of the series while going hitless across seven at-bats. Reese McGuire will replace Kirk behind the plate.

Perez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Reds, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Perez went 2-for-8 with a run, an RBI and two strikeouts across the last two games. Taylor Davis will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Stallings (concussion) recently resumed baseball activities, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Stallings landed on the 7-day concussion injured list Monday, but his symptoms have subsided recently. He's playing catch and will attempt to ramp up his workload in time to return to the Pirates for the final few days of the regular season.