MLB Player News

Realmuto's absence from the lineup Monday in Washington is due to a sore right knee, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The injury helps explain why the catcher finds himself on the bench for the second time in four games. He'll undergo an MRI on Monday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, though he's not particularly concerned about the severity of the issue. Regardless of the results of that test, there's a chance the Phillies don't bother bringing Realmuto back this season, as there's little reason to risk further injuring a key player with the team effectively out of the playoff race.

McGuire is not in the lineup Monday against the Orioles.

McGuire is enjoying a nice month at the plate, slashing .342/.432/.526 with a home run, four doubles and a 6:8 BB:K through 12 games. Danny Jansen is starting behind the dish in this one.

Realmuto is not starting Monday against the Nationals.

With the Phillies now six games out of a wild-card spot with seven games left to play, they may not ask Realmuto to handle his typically heavy workload down the stretch. Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate for the second time in four games.

Vazquez is not in the lineup Monday against the Rays, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez had started eight straight games, going 10-for-27 (.370) with three home runs and a 7:5 BB:K across that span. Sandy Leon is starting at catcher and hitting ninth against lefty Blake Snell in this one.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in a win over the Rockies on Sunday.

Smith's solo shot in the eighth inning snapped a streak of 13 games without going deep. It was also his first extra-base hit in a brutal September in which the 24-year-old has gone 5-for-44 (.114) with 14 strikeouts. Despite the rough month, Smith remains one of the better hitting backstops in the National League, posting a .242/.318/.561 slash line with 14 homers and 37 RBI in only 50 games this season.

Garver was removed from Sunday's game with right hip tightness and was pulled for precautionary reasons, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

With the Twins preparing for a run in the playoffs, they want everyone at full health, which is why they were taking no chances by removing Garver from the game after he was experiencing some hip tightness. The team has a day off Monday, which will give Garver some extra time to heal up before it takes on the Tigers in Detroit on Tuesday. It is not guaranteed that Garver plays Tuesday as he is listed as day-to-day. Jason Castro figures to draw the next start if Garver isn't able to go.

Mejia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Austin Hedges will step in behind the dish for the day game after Mejia started at catcher in Saturday's 4-2 loss. Mejia has gone 2-for-7 with a walk in two games since returning from the injured list Sept. 17.

Diaz (knee) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Diaz left Saturday's game with a right knee injury, and the setback will prevent him from starting Sunday. The extent of Diaz's injury is uncertain, so it remains to be seen if he will be back in the lineup for the Pirates' next game Tuesday against the Cubs.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Contreras was held out Saturday to get some rest, and he will open on the bench for a second straight day Sunday with Victor Caratini catching Yu Darvish like he usually does. Contreras should be available to pinch hit and figures to be back behind the plate for the Cubs' next game Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Narvaez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Narvaez went 12-for-29 (.414) with three homers over his last eight games, but manager Scott Servais decided to hold him out of the lineup Sunday for the second day in a row. Austin Nola will handle the catching duties after Tom Murphy was behind the plate Saturday.