MLB Player News

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a double and a walkoff solo homer against the Mets on Tuesday. He scored two runs.

Although Realmuto is currently sitting on what's easily a new career-high homer total, he'd gone 21 straight appearances without one before this little breakout, a span in which he hit just .209/.244/.326 with a 2:21 BB:K. The big night may serve to get him going again, so Realmuto's fantasy owners can only hope that he bounces back to showing off his strong hit tool and decent pop in short order.

Grandal went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-2 loss at Philadelphia.

Grandal opened the scoring with a third-inning solo shot to left, taking advantage of Citizens Bank Park's league-leading 1.4 home run park factor. He also demonstrated a patient approach against talented right-hander Aaron Nola, tying for a team high with 17 pitches faced. The catcher has now reached the 20-homer mark in consecutive seasons.

Perez (intercostal) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Perez has not taken the field since tweaking his side injury last Thursday, but he was expected to return to action Tuesday, and the Royals' lineup confirms he will indeed do just that. Perez is an ironman when healthy, but the Royals may look to take it easy with him the rest of the way, particularly if they are eliminated from playoff contention.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.

Barnhart will get the day off after catching five straight games, going 4-for-16 (.250) with a pair of extra-base hits over that span. Stuart Turner will step in behind the dish in his stead, though Barnhart should continue to see the bulk of the starts down the stretch.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with a double against the Brewers on Monday.

The 26-year-old has played complete games for Pittsburgh in 13 of the team's last 16 contests as he gains experience for 2018. Diaz, who is slashing .234/.250/.340 during his September run (48 plate appearances), figures to see fairly regular playing time next year while serving as the fragile Francisco Cervelli's backup. He's hit .275 against lefties, albeit small sample (41 plate appearances), and could become a streaming option versus southpaws.

Vazquez made his first start of the season at designated hitter Monday and went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Boston's 10-8 extra-inning win over Baltimore.

September's roster expansion allows for such luxuries as using a hot-hitting catcher at DH. Vazquez has maintained a credible bat all season, but in the second half is slashing a hefty .344/.387/.508. Those numbers far outpace his career marks, and have led manager John Farrell to move Vazquez up in the batting order.

Collins finished the 2017 at Double-A Birmingham, posting an .893 OPS over 12 games with the Barons.

Collins came out of college with a reputation as a sure-thing bat with questions surrounding his defense -- however, his season played out the opposite way. He batted just .224 while striking out 27.3 percent of the time over his 471 plate appearances. It's not uncommon for young catchers to experience an initial dip in offense as they learn the defensive aspects of such a demanding position at the professional level. One noteworthy item that stands out is Collins walked in 18.5 percent of his plate appearances to post a .370 on-base percentage. There's nobody blocking him at the major-league level, so Collins could reach Chicago as a regular by 2019 if his defense remains on the same trajectory.

Realmuto is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto will get the day off after starting four straight games behind the dish. Tomas Telis will start at catcher in his place, batting second.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Despite going 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's contest, Grandal is still hitting an awful .054/.200/.135 in 45 plate appearances this month, so he'll head to the bench as he continues to split time with Austin Barnes behind the dish. Barnes will start and bat fifth Monday.

Perez (side) is expected to return Tuesday for the series opener in Toronto, The Associated Press reports.

The catcher sat out three straight games to end the week after aggravating an intercostal injury Thursday. Time is running out on Kansas City's season, as they sit a handful of games out of the final wild-card spot, so manager Ned Yost will certainly get Perez back in the lineup as soon as possible. At the same time, should the club be eliminated from postseason contention, Perez could very well be shut down before the campaign officially ends.