MLB Player News

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Reds.

The catcher has only seven homers on the season, but three of them have come in the last 12 games. Grandal's power stroke has been lagging a little, but he's still been adept at getting on base, slashing .234/.358/.421 through 41 contests.

Mejia was optioned by the Padres on Saturday.

The Padres simply didn't need Mejia, as they acquired both Austin Nola and Jason Castro while he was out for a month with a bruised left thumb. Nola presumably lines up as the team's starting catcher heading into next season, but Castro will be a free agent, so Mejia could earn a bench spot next year. He won't necessarily have the job locked down, though, as he hit just .077/.143/.179 in 42 plate appearances this season, dragging his career line down to .225/.282/.386 in 362 trips to the plate. Eric Hosmer returned from a fractured finger in a corresponding move.

According to Padres manager Jayce Tingler, Campusano (wrist) is "a little behind" the return schedules of recently activated Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer (finger), Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Tingler did not set a target date for Campusano's return, though it's worth nothing that the other players he mentioned have since been activated. That could mean that Campusano has a chance to rejoin the club before the end of the regular season, though it would be wise to wait until a more concrete update is provided before making such an assumption. With Francisco Mejia optioned to the team's alternate training site Saturday, Campusano could have a spot on the active roster as the Padres' third catcher if he is able to make it back on the field before the end of the season.

Murphy (foot) was recently shut down in his recovery process and sent home by the Mariners, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Murphy fractured his left foot during summer camp and was never able to make it back to game action during the shortened 2020 season. Although the 29-year-old was shut down for the remainder of this season, he could certainly be ready for the 2021 campaign as he should compete for playing time behind the plate.

Smith is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith finds himself sitting for the second game in a row, something that hadn't happened yet this season except during the period that he was sidelined with a neck injury. This doesn't seem to be a sign of him losing playing time, which would be quite a surprise given his 1.013 OPS, but it's instead due to the fact that Clayton Kershaw will throw to his personal catcher Austin Barnes, who's caught all of his starts this season.

Sanchez isn't starting Saturday against the Red Sox.

Sanchez blasted a clutch home run late in Friday's contest, but he'll get a day off Saturday. Kyle Higashioka will take over behind the plate.

Narvaez will hit the bench for the third straight game Saturday against the Royals.

It's possible Narvaez has slipped behind Jacob Nottingham on the depth chart, as he's started just four of the Brewers' last 11 games behind the plate. It's worth noting, however, that four of his times on the bench during that stretch have come against lefties like Saturday's starter Kris Bubic, so this may be more of a platoon situation than a true change in the hierarchy.

Vazquez isn't in Saturday's lineup against the Yankees.

Vazquez will take a breather after filling the stat sheet in Friday's loss. Kevin Plawecki will take over behind the dish.

Caratini is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

This is the third straight game on the bench for Caratini, who has just a .456 OPS over his last 17 contests. Willson Contreras is starting at catcher and David Bote is serving as the designated hitter, so it appears that Caratini has fallen into more of a reserve role while manager David Ross looks to ride some hotter hitters.

Haase is starting at catcher and batting eighth in Saturday's game against Cleveland.

Haase was recently called up to replace Grayson Greiner as the Tigers' backup catcher and will make his second start of the season Saturday. Austin Romine is nursing a wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch Friday, so Haase could pick up a little playing time in the short term, though Romine's injury does not appear to be serious and he is reportedly available off the bench Saturday.