MLB Player News

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Twins.

It was Hedges' 17th homer of the season, but his first since Aug. 22. The 24-year-old is batting just .211 this season, due in large part to a 28.9 percent strikeout rate, but his plus power has been enough to keep him viable at the shallow fantasy position of catcher.

Barnes got the nod behind the dish Wednesday, going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks in a 4-1 win over the Giants.

The 27-year-old has been on the short side of a catching platoon with Yasmani Grandal this year, but the latter's recent struggles at the plate could lead to more playing time for Barnes down the stretch, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Manager Dave Roberts mentioned that he wants to see Grandal snap out of his current funk, but he added that he would play the best option as the Dodgers approach the postseason. Barnes is slashing a healthy .294/.413/.471 in 225 plate appearances, so he already has value in plenty of formats, but would be an easy top-10 option at the position if he were getting the majority of starts behind the plate.

Rupp went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in an 8-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.

Rupp has made just five starts in September and his playing time is going to continue to be limited with the Phillies looking to get Jorge Alfaro at-bats as they evaluate him with an eye toward next season. Rupp is a candidate to be traded this offseason with Alfaro and Andrew Knapp expected to split catching duties next season.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox.

The backstop's fourth blast of September bumped his season total to a career-high 25 while inching him closer to other personal-best marks. Perez can also surpass previous career highs for runs (57) and RBI (79) by scoring five more times, and driving in seven more runs. With a couple weeks remaining, the 27-year-old is within reach of setting new bars despite the fact that Perez will likely end 2017 with his fewest games played since 2012.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Tigers.

Although officially listed as No. 2 on the depth chart, Perez continues to play his way into the lineup on a routine basis. In seven starts this month, the catcher is 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs and nine RBI. Perez is a solid play in daily formats on days when he's in the lineup.

Grandal is out of Wednesday's lineup agains the Giants, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

He is hitting just .033/.189/.133 with one home run and 16 strikeouts in 30 September at-bats. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit sixth.

Realmuto is out of the lineup against the Phillies on Wednesday.

Realmuto retreats to the bench following eight straight starts, including a two-hit game with a pair of doubles during Tuesday's loss. In his place, AJ Ellis will handle the catching duties.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the A's, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

After starting two consecutive games, over which he went 4-for-8 with three RBI, Vazquez will get the night off. Sandy Leon will serve as Boston's backstop with Vazquez out.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Gomes was behind the plate for the Indians' AL record-tying 20th consecutive win a night earlier, so he'll take a seat and give way to Roberto Perez behind the plate for the afternoon affair. The improved offense of Gomez and Perez has played a major part in the Tribe's lengthy win streak, with Gomes hitting .311 with three home runs, 10 RBI and nine runs over the club's last 20 games.

Higashioka (shoulder) is off the 7-day DL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

With the Triple-A playoffs in full swing, Higashioka returned to the club last Friday after missing about three weeks with a shoulder strain. The Yankees acquired another catcher in Erik Kratz for their 40-man roster during that span, but Higashioka could still be in line to be called up as added catching depth once the minor-league season comes to an end.