MLB Player News

Contreras isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Contreras went 0-for-2 with a walk in Tuesday's loss, and he'll take a seat for the second time in the last three games. Kevan Smith will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Perez will start at catcher and bat seventh Wednesday against the Rockies.

No. 1 backstop Jacob Stallings is getting the afternoon off after making three straight starts behind the dish, so Perez will check into the lineup for the 23rd time this season. Perez has delivered five extra-base hits in his limited opportunities in June, but he doesn't appear likely to move ahead of Stallings on the depth chart anytime soon.

Stallings is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Stallings will head to the bench for the series finale after he logged starts at catcher in each of the past three contests while going a collective 2-for-10 with a walk and four strikeouts. Michael Perez will check in for Stallings behind the dish.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

After he was behind the plate for each of the Rockies' last three games, Diaz will cede catching duties to Dom Nunez in the series finale. With Diaz having homered in back-to-back games and recorded at least one hit in four straight contests, he appears to have solidified his spot atop the depth chart for the time being.

While Garver (groin) has resumed baseball activities, he's not expected to return from the injured list until after the All-Star break, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "Some of what Garv is dealing with right now does go beyond baseball and being a baseball injury," said manager Rocco Baldelli.

Garver underwent surgery for a groin contusion June 2 and was placed on the 10-day injured list. He's been playing catch and doing other baseball activity, but there hasn't been a timetable for any rehab assignment. It's possible he may not return until August.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-4 win over Oakland.

Heim started a second straight game, as primary backstop Jose Trevino is dealing with a forearm injury. Trevino is listed as day-to-day, so Heim should fill in until the team's top backstop is ready to return. Heim is 12-for-28 (.429) with five extra-base hits, six RBI and five runs scored over his last nine games.

Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Vazquez managed just one hit but reached base twice after he was safe on a fielder's choice in the seventh. He would end up taking second for his eighth stolen base of the year, which already represents a season high in steals for him. The 30-year-old backstop is slashing .266/.310/.365 with four homers, 32 RBI, 28 runs scored and a 16:51 BB:K over 261 plate appearances.

Wynns went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 13-3 rout of the Astros.

The veteran is starting a couple times a week as Baltimore's No. 2 backstop behind Pedro Severino, and Wynns took advantage of his opportunity Tuesday. Despite the strong performance, the 30-year-old is slashing only .171/.209/.341 through 43 plate appearances on the year with two homers and seven RBI -- not surprising numbers for a player with a career .599 OPS in the majors.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in an 8-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The backstop crushed a 451-foot solo shot to center field in the fifth inning for his fourth homer of the season. Three of those long balls have come in his past eight games, including two in the past two days. The sudden power surge has helped Diaz get the majority of starts behind the dish of late, as fellow catcher Dom Nunez is hitting only .135 in June and hasn't homered since May 1.

Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, an additional RBI and an additional run scored during Tuesday's 11-5 win over the Angels.

The 28-year-old started the scoring with a solo shot during the opening frame, and he came around to score during the fourth inning after hitting an RBI double. Sanchez is hitting .288 with eight homers, seven doubles, 19 RBI and 14 runs through 23 games in June.