MLB Player News

Casali is not in the lineup Tuesday against Milwaukee.

Casali is now the Reds' primary catcher with Tucker Barnhart out with an oblique injury, but he won't start every day. Kyle Farmer gets the nod behind the plate in his absence.

Bemboom (knee) is 4-for-8 with two RBI and two runs over his last two rehab games.

Not only has Bemboom's performance with the bat been encouraging recently, but it's worth noting he generated a portion of that production at Triple-A Durham on Monday after beginning his rehab in the Gulf Coast League. Furthermore, Bemboom caught a full seven innings Monday, the highest workload of his rehab assignment thus far and a good sign for the health of his recovering knee.

Mejia (forearm) is catching and batting sixth Monday against the Giants.

Mejia was held out of Sunday's matchup after suffering a bruised right forearm Saturday, but he's been cleared to take the field for the series opener. He's batting .286 with two home runs and three RBI over his last 10 contests.

Contreras is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras will just be getting a routine day off after starting behind the plate in six of the Cubs' last seven contests. The newly-minted All-Star will give way to No. 2 catcher Victor Caratini in the series opener in Pittsburgh.

Vazquez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs in a 12-8 loss against the Yankees on Sunday.

London Stadium was friendly for power hitters this weekend, but Vazquez has been displaying a good slugging percentage all season. He already has 11 homers this year, which is more than what he had in his career coming into 2019. Vazquez is also batting .289 with a .482 slugging percentage, 21 extra-base hits, 34 RBI, 31 runs and one steal in 228 at-bats this season.

Realmuto was removed from Sunday's game against the Marlins due to a left hamstring injury, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto's injury doesn't appear to be serious, as he stated after the contest that he could have remained in the game if the score were closer. The Phillies have a scheduled off day Monday, so Realmuto's next opportunity to return will come Tuesday against the Braves.

Sanchez was removed from Sunday's 12-8 win over the Red Sox in the ninth inning after jamming his left thumb on a pitch in the bottom of the eighth, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Sanchez went 1-for-5 with a walk, a run and two RBI before departing in favor of Austin Romine for the final frame. The 26-year-old told reporters after the contest that he isn't worried about the injury, but he'll wait and see how his thumb feels prior to Tuesday's series opener against the Mets before committing to playing.

Mejia (forearm) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Mejia was forced to leave Saturday's game after sustaining a right forearm bruise after being hit by a pitch. The severity of the injury is not yet known. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate in his place Sunday.

Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Barnes has scuffled in June with a .419 OPS in 17 games, so he'll head to the bench Sunday. Russell Martin will start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale.

Casali will start at catcher and bat ninth Sunday against the Cubs, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Casali will draw a sixth consecutive turn behind the dish and should operate as the Reds' primary backstop for the foreseeable future with Tucker Barnhart (oblique) facing an extended absence. The surge in playing time makes Casali a must-own player in NL-only formats and probably makes him worth grabbing in deeper mixed leagues that start two backstops as well. Casali's .756 OPS on the season places him 18th among all catchers who have received at least 140 plate appearances this season.