MLB Player News

Realmuto will see time at first base for the rest of the season with Rhys Hoskins (abdomen) on the injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins has already been ruled out for the rest of the season, and a shift to first base will allow Realmuto to escape the everyday strain of catching while still keeping his bat in the lineup. It's unclear exactly how the Phillies plan to split the 30-year-old's playing time between the two positions, but he should remain a fixture in the lineup regardless of where he's playing in the field. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp should be the primary beneficiary when Realmuto is at first, while fill-in first baseman Brad Miller figures to see less time. However, Realmuto is out of the lineup completely for Friday's contest while Knapp starts at catcher.

Grandal is starting Friday against the Cubs after being activated from the injured list.

Grandal was activated from the injured list earlier Friday after missing close to two months with a knee injury. The backstop will resume his season with an underwhelming .188/.388/.436 slash line, but he should get the bulk of the starts while Seby Zavala spells him behind the plate.

Realmuto is not in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Realmuto started the past four games and will receive a breather after going 0-for-3 with two walks and a run in Thursday's series opener. Andrew Knapp will work behind the plate in his place.

Collins was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Collins served as Yasmani Grandal's backup early in the year, but it wound up being Seby Zavala who took over the starting role after Grandal underwent knee surgery in early July. With Grandal now back in action, Zavala remains with the team while Collins heads to the minors, though he'll have a good chance to return once rosters expand at the start of September.

Grandal (knee) was activated off the injured list as expected Friday.

Grandal has been out since early July while recovering from knee surgery. Prior to his injury, he owned a very strange yet productive .188/.388/.436 slash line. He walked nearly twice as often as he recorded a hit (60 to 34), but over 40 percent of his hits were homers (14). He's been a similar low-average, high-walk, high-power hitter throughout much of his career, but he'll need to do less damage to fantasy teams' batting averages down the stretch if he's to be a quality option in standard setups. Zack Collins was optioned to clear space for him on the roster, so Seby Zavala will serve as Grandal's backup for now.

Grandal (knee) will be activated off the injured list Friday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Grandal has been out since early July after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left knee. He's gotten into a full 11 rehab games and has looked good, hitting .303. He should return to his role as the primary catcher down the stretch, though the White Sox likely won't want to overwork his surgically repaired knee, so he could get more days off than usual over the next few weeks.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Thursday's 4-0 win over San Diego.

Barnes opened the scoring in the third inning when he sent a Yu Darvish offering over the left-center field wall. The blast was the first since July 24 for the veteran catcher, who had entered the night hitless in nine at-bats over his prior nine games. Barnes is slashing .218/.314/.352 with five homers and 19 RBI in 189 plate appearances this season behind starter Will Smith.

Perez went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in a 6-4 victory over Seattle on Thursday.

Perez stepped to the plate against reliever Joe Smith with Kansas City down 4-1 and the bases juiced, and he crushed a 418-foot bomb to left that gave the Royals the lead for good. The blast was the backstop's fifth in seven games and gives him 35 on the season, nine more than any other catcher.

Murphy went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees.

Murphy's back-to-back blasts with Matt Chapman in the third inning ignited a six-run comeback, though the backstop wasn't productive in his other at-bats. The 26-year-old is in a timeshare with trade deadline acquisition Yan Gomes, which has actually benefitted both players, evidenced by Murphy's improved .256/.385/.512 slash line this month.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 10-6 win over Texas.

The 29-year-old drew a walk and stole second in the fifth inning, but his effort on the basepaths went unrewarded. It was his first steal attempt this year, and he now has 10 stolen bases in his career. Hedges has seen regular playing time with Roberto Perez (shoulder) on the injured list, but the former has just a .186/.230/.290 slash line with six home runs, 23 RBI and 23 runs scored through 233 plate appearances.