MLB Player News

Murphy (foot) is expected back at full health next season and should operate in a timeshare with Luis Torrens (back) behind the dish, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Murphy was shut down for good in mid-September after it become evident he would not be able to return from the broken bone he suffered in his left foot during summer camp. The veteran backstop should be back to full health by the time spring training rolls around, but he isn't likely to be ticketed for the high-volume role he was projected to fill in 2020; Torrens, acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline, performed well in a limited sample with the Mariners and figures to see a solid share of playing time in his own right next season.

The Pirates placed Stallings on the 7-day concussion injured list Sunday.

Stallings isn't believed to have a lengthy history of concussions, so the expectation is that he'll be fully cleared to resume baseball activities early in the offseason. He'll wrap up the 2019 campaign with a .248/.326/.376 slash line with three home runs and 18 RBI across 143 plate appearances over 42 games.

D'Arnaud is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

The Braves' spot in the postseason has been solidified for some time, so manager Brian Snitker has taken to rotating starts between d'Arnaud and Tyler Flowers over the final week of the regular season. Expect d'Arnuad to be ready to catch nearly every game of the playoffs after he was one of the majors' top backstops in 2020. Over 44 games spanning 184 plate appearances, d'Arnaud slashed .321/.386/.533.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, two RBI and a walk in a victory versus the Angels on Saturday.

Smith knocked in a run with a single in the first inning and capped the Dodgers' scoring in the eighth with a solo homer to left field. The backstop has enjoyed a strong second major-league campaign, slashing .300/.414/.600 with eight homers and 25 RBI.

Maldonado is not in the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado is on the bench for the second straight game as the Astros give him some extra rest heading into the playoffs. Dustin Garneau starts behind the plate Sunday, batting ninth.

The Cubs scratched Contreras from the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Contreras was in line to serve as Chicago's designated hitter in the regular-season finale, but those duties will now fall to Javier Baez instead. Manager David Ross noted that nothing is physically wrong with Contreras; the skipper just decided that he wanted to get Baez some more at-bats heading into the postseason.

Stassi is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Anthony Bemboom will take over behind the plate as Stassi sits for the Angels' final game of 2020. Stassi had a great showing, offensively, in 105 plate appearances around a knee injury and projects to open 2021 as the primary catcher barring any offseason additions.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and four RBI in what was his final start of the season Saturday. He'll likely finish 2020 with a .283/.344/.457 slash line, seven homers and four stolen bases in 47 games. Kevin Plawecki takes over behind the plate in the season finale.

Garver is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Garver takes a seat for the second straight contest while going 4-for-21 with a homer and 14 strikeouts over his past six games. Alex Avila starts behind the plate in the final game of the regular season.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional run scored in Saturday's win over Arizona.

Diaz finished the game just one triple away from the cycle and blasted his second long ball of the season when he took Luke Weaver deep in the fourth inning. He enters the final game of the campaign hitting .250 with a below-average .679 OPS.