MLB Player News

Realmuto is on the bench for Wednesday's game in Washington, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto has hit just .179 over his last 12 games. Chad Wallach will get the call behind the plate in his absence.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will hit the pine after starting the past two games behind the dish. In his absence, Sandy Leon will catch David Price and bat ninth.

Grandal went 3-for-3 with a triple in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Grandal tallied a hit in all three plate appearances, including his second triple of the season, before being lifted for a pinch runner in the seventh inning. Playing at what's been a weak offensive position league-wide, the backstop is slashing .238/.350/.467 with 24 long balls and 68 RBI.

McCann went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Twins.

McCann's two-run double capped off a four-run eighth inning for the Tigers. It's been a rough year overall for the 28-year-old catcher, as he's now slashing .214/.261/.308, which is down across the board from the .253/.318/.415 line he posted in 2017, while his home run and RBI totals are also down.

Mejia is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mejia will give way to Austin Hedges behind the dish after starting the last two games, going 2-for-9 with a double and a run scored in those contests. The prospect, who is hitting .217/.280/.457 with three homers since joining the big club, has now started four of the last six games at catcher, a trend that could continue over the final week of the season and potentially carry into next year.

Garver (concussion) is awaiting paperwork to be cleared to catch Tuesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Garver hasn't played in nearly two weeks while dealing with a concussion. He's been cleared to hit and could be cleared to catch soon, which is a surprise given that previous reports suggested he'd likely be shut down for the season. Willians Astudillo has hit an excellent .338/.356/.521 in 24 games and has taken over the starting role in Garver's absence.

Perez (hamstring) will not return this season, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

The rookie catcher hit a solid .284/.304/.392 in 24 games before landing on the disabled list in late August. He played in a rehab game Monday but was unable to run at 100 percent. With their playoff hopes extinguished, the Rays are focusing on Perez being ready for next season.

Plawecki is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Plawecki will take a seat after starting the past two games behind the dish, going 2-for-8 with a double and two RBI in those appearances. Tomas Nido is set to fill in at catcher for Tuesday's series opener.

Mejia went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 5-0 win over San Francisco.

Mejia had been splitting time evenly behind the dish with Austin Hedges since he joined the majors earlier this month, but he has now started four of the Friars' last five contests. The club is giving its top catching prospect an extended look over the final week of the season, but it could also be a sign of how the catching situation could shape up next year. Mejia is slashing .217/.280/.457 with three homers in San Diego.

Hedges is not in the lineup Monday against the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hedges will stick on the bench for a second straight game as rookie Francisco Mejia picks up another start behind the dish. Mejia has now started four of the last five games at catcher, a trend that could continue over the final week of the season as the Padres look to give the younger Mejia ample opportunities.