MLB Player News

Stassi (hand) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Texas, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Stassi will remain on the bench after leaving Tuesday's contest following a hit by pitch on his right hand in the first inning. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the White Sox.

Mesoraco is not in Wednesday's lineup after suffering a head injury during Tuesday's game, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Mesoraco was removed from Tuesday's outing after getting hit in the head on a backswing. He was able to pass through concussion protocol, but manager Mickey Callaway will give him a chance to rest with a scheduled off day coming Thursday. Kevin Plawecki will handle the catching duties.

Hedges is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Athletics.

Hedges will get a routine breather with the Padres and Athletics playing a day game after a night game, allowing A.J. Ellis to receive a turn behind the plate. In the Padres' 6-2 loss Tuesday, Hedges went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. He has recorded only four hits in 19 at-bats since returning from the disabled list June 24.

Higashioka will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Braves.

Higashioka will draw his fourth straight start behind the plate with the top option on the active roster, Austin Romine, still battling a tight hamstring. Per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Romine said Wednesday that he's feeling "great" and hasn't endured any setbacks in his recovery from the injury, so after a team off day Thursday, the backstop could be ready to rejoin the lineup for Friday's series opener in Toronto. Once Romine is back to full strength, Higashioka, who has recorded two hits -- both homers -- over 10 at-bats in his previous three starts, will likely only be asked to play a couple times per week.

Caratini was recalled from Triple-A Iowa and will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Though he'll see work in the field in his first game action with the Cubs since May 22, Caratini projects to see the bulk of his time behind the plate during his latest stint with Chicago. Caratini will take over as the backup catcher behind Willson Contreras after Chris Gimenez was designated for assignment Wednesday in a corresponding move.

Realmuto is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

To little surprise, Realmuto will head to the bench for the matinee contest after he played all 16 innings -- including 12 behind the plate -- in Tuesday's 9-6 loss. Bryan Holaday will draw the nod at catcher in the series finale, working in a battery with starting pitcher Jose Urena.

Grandal went 2-for-3 with a triple, a home run and a pair of runs scored in Tuesday's win over Pittsburgh.

After a strong start to the campaign, Grandal's bat had really cooled off in the month of June (.162/.197/.324). The catcher's prolonged slump caused him to revert back to being on the strong side of a platoon with Austin Barnes after serving as the Dodgers' primary catcher early on. Still, Grandal should receive enough playing time against righties in order for his power (12 homers, .211 isolated power) to remain relevant in most fantasy formats.

Gomes went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in a win over the Royals on Tuesday.

Gomes took starter Danny Duffy deep in the sixth inning for his 10th homer of the year. Gomes registered a hit for his third consecutive game, and is coming off a decent June in which he hit .284/.360/.537 with three homers and 11 RBI. The backstop strikes out about 30 percent of the time, but has still managed to produce to the tune of 28 RBI and 29 runs in 61 games.

Mesoraco exited Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays after being hit in the head on a backswing, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic New York reports.

Mesoraco already cleared the concussion protocol, but the team is likely to monitor him closely over the next couple days. The 29-year-old seems unlikely to be in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in Toronto, but could seemingly return Friday against the Ray with Thursday's off day providing an additional day to recover.

Stassi left Tuesday's game against the Rangers after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Stassi was hit in his first at-bat during the top of the first inning and briefly stayed in to run the bases, but was replaced behind the plate by Tim Federowicz for the bottom of the frame. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with a right hand bruise after X-rays came back negative, and he is currently considered day-to-day.