MLB Player News

Grandal is out of the lineup for the second day in a row Wednesday against the Padres.

Austin Barnes will make his second straight start and his third start in four games. Grandal has now sat against the last seven lefties the Dodgers have faced, including Joey Lucchesi on Wednesday. Grandal is a switch hitter, but he does have a platoon split, posting a 119 career wRC+ against righties compared to a 103 wRC+ against lefties. The right-handed Barnes has a similar split in the opposite direction (118 wRC+ against lefties and 98 wRC+ against righties), so it would make sense for the platoon to continue moving forward.

Stassi is out of Wednesday's starting lineup against the Athletics.

Stassi will take a seat after going 3-for-13 with one double and two RBI over his last four games. Tim Federowicz is slated to handle the catching duties and bat eighth.

Rupp was cut by the Twins on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Rupp appeared in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester in 2018, putting together a .226/.316/.446 slash line with 11 homers and 32 RBI. He'll look to latch on elsewhere following his release.

Sanchez (groin) took part in some running and on-field drills out of the crouch prior to Wednesday's tilt against Baltimore, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.

Sanchez worked on his throws down to second and third base out of the crouch, but more importantly, he managed to get in some running. He also participated in agility drills in the outfield, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. If Sanchez can successfully run the bases within the next few days, there's a good chance he'll begin a minor-league stint by the weekend.

Contreras is out of the lineup against the Giants on Wednesday.

Contreras will take a seat after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts during Tuesday's victory. Victor Caratini will set up behind the plate and catch Mike Montgomery during the series finale.

Garver is not in the lineup against Kansas City on Wednesday, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reports.

Garver will take a seat following three straight starts as Bobby Wilson takes his place for the series finale. Over 57 games this year, Garver is slashing .258/.331/.380 with four home runs and 13 RBI.

Vazquez (finger) underwent surgery Tuesday, Bill Koch of the Providence Journal reports.

Vazquez had what the Red Sox called a successful pinning procedure performed on his right pinky finger and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

The catcher's fifth-inning blast ended up being the difference, as the Padres went on to win by a 4-1 margin. Though Hedges just got over the Mendoza Line for the first time all season with Tuesday's two-hit day, he's been showing signs of turning it around of late. Since the start of July, he's hitting .368 (7-for-19) with a double, two homers and five RBI.

Sanchez (groin) took batting practice on the field prior to Tuesday's game, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez continues to ramp up without any issues and is now likely one step away -- running the bases -- from being cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment. Hoch suggests Sanchez could begin playing in rehab games by this weekend. If he does receive clearance to join an affiliate by the end of the week, Sanchez would stand a good chance to be ready once play resumes July 20 or shortly thereafter.

Grandal is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

He will sit for the second time in the last four games, in part because southpaw Eric Lauer is toeing the rubber for the Padres. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit eighth.