MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Barrera to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Barrera's demotion sets the stage for top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz to join the Nationals' 26-man roster ahead of Monday's series opener with the Phillies. Ruiz's arrival will leave fewer opportunities to go around for Riley Adams, who had been handling the larger portion of a timeshare behind the plate with Barrera. Over 107 plate appearances with the big club this season, Barrera has hit .264 with two home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 13-1 win over the Cubs.

Grandal hit one of five homers for the White Sox on Sunday, his being a two-run homer off Adam Morgan in the fifth inning. Grandal finished the series 6-for-12 with three home runs, 10 RBI, three runs scored and 1:2 BB:K. He was activated off the injured list Friday after being out for nearly two months and figures to resume his role as the team's everyday catcher as the White Sox compete for playoff positioning down the final stretch of the season.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners.

Perez extended his homer streak to five straight games with a solo blast off Marco Gonzales in the sixth inning. In addition, he singled in the eighth inning, driving in Nicky Lopez to total 13 RBI in his last five games. The catcher is slashing .277/.315/.544 with a team-leading 38 long balls, 94 RBI and 63 runs scored in 498 plate appearances.

Hedges hit a solo home run in his only at-bat during Sunday's 7-5 win over Boston.

The catcher was given a partial day off as Wilson Ramos started behind the plate. Hedges delivered when called upon, tying the game at 5-5 with his solo shot in the eighth inning, part of a three-run frame that put Cleveland ahead for good. The 29-year-old is up to seven homers, 24 RBI, 24 runs scored and a stolen base while slashing .185/.228/.301 through 239 plate appearances. He remains Cleveland's top healthy option at catcher.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Murphy will get a breather after each of the Athletics' last five games at either designated hitter or catcher while going a collective 2-for-17 with a home run and eight strikeouts in those contests. Yan Gomes will spell Murphy behind the plate, while Jed Lowrie serves as the team's DH.

Realmuto exited in the top of the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks with a sore left ankle, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run before departing.

With Rhys Hoskins (abdomen) shut down for the season, Realmuto picked up his first start of the season at first base Sunday and is expected to see more work at the position down the stretch. However, Realmuto's availability moving forward is now in question, after he fouled a ball off his ankle in an at-bat earlier in the series finale before eventually leaving the game. The Phillies will presumably send Realmuto for further evaluation before providing an update on his status heading into Monday's game in Washington.

Diaz is not in the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers.

Diaz started the past three games and will receive a maintenance day in the series finale at Los Angeles. Dom Nunez will catch for the Rockies on Sunday.

The Astros called up Stubbs (ankle) from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stubbs hasn't played for Sugar Land since Aug. 19 due to a right ankle sprain, but the Astros' decision to bring him up from the minors implies the team doesn't have much concern about the injury. At the very least, Stubbs is in better health that fellow catcher Jason Castro (knee), whom Houston moved to the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Stubbs will serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Martin Maldonado while Castro is on the shelf.

Smith is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rockies, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Smith went 4-for-5 with a home run, two walks and three RBI through the first two games of the series, and he'll take a day off in the finale. Austin Barnes will work behind the plate in his place Sunday.

The Twins called up Rortvedt from Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Minnesota optioned starting pitcher Charlie Barnes to Triple-A to open up a spot on the active roster for Rortvedt, who will shore up the Twins' catching depth while Mitch Garver (back) is on the injured list. Rortvedt is expected to serve as Minnesota's No. 2 backstop behind Ryan Jeffers while he's up with the big club.