MLB Player News

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 28-year-old has been on a power surge lately, smacking four homers in his last seven games to bring his total to 18. Grandal has historically been a low-average player, but thanks to the power, he's well on his way toward finishing as a top-seven catcher for the second straight season.

Bethancourt could be among the minor leaguers called up to the Padres when rosters expand in September, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This is despite the fact that Bethancourt has been terrible in the minors. He owns an 8.12 ERA over 37.2 innings for Triple-A El Paso and has walked 28 batters against just 20 strikeouts. That said, the Padres need to make a decision about Bethancourt's long-term future with the club soon, so what better time than the present to see what he's got?

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Maldonado will get the series finale off after starting the first three games of the series and going 4-for-13. Juan Graterol will take over behind the dish, batting eighth.

Hedges is not in the lineup Thursday against St. Louis.

Hedges will get a standard day off following two straight starts, while Luis Torrens draws the assignment behind the plate. Over the past 10 games, Hedges is slashing just .135/.154/.216.

Gomes is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Gomes is hitless over his last 11 at-bats, so he'll get the day off to gather himself after starting three of the past four games at backstop. In his place, Roberto Perez will take over behind the dish, batting eighth.

Vazquez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's contest, so he'll hit the bench for the second time in three games as Sandy Leon draws another start behind the dish. The Red Sox will continue to deploy Vazquez and Leon in what is seemingly an unpredictable timeshare.

Contreras (hamstring) took batting practice prior to Thursday's game against the Reds, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

This marks the first time Contreras was able to partake in batting practice since landing on the DL about two weeks ago. In recent days, the 25-year-old was able to participate in agility drills as well as catch Jake Arrieta during a side session. Contreras remains on a path to return to the big-league team right around the middle of September.

Perez is not in the Royals' lineup Thursday, 610 Sports Radio KC reports.

Drew Butera will slide in behind the dish to give Perez a break. The club has decided not to use Perez as a designated hitter anymore in order to preserve his health more effectively. Fantasy players should expect to get a little less work out of him, and this decision cuts into his value a bit. Still, he's one of the more reliable names at his position.

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup Thursday against Arizona.

Following three starts in the past four games, d'Arnaud will get the matinee off in favor of Kevin Plawecki. Since the beginning of August, the catcher is batting .207/.230/.310 with one home run and five RBI.

Perez won't be used as the designated hitter for the rest of the season, the Associated Press reports.

Perez has been the DH for 13 games this year, but manager Ned Yost believes that role is too risky for his All-Star backstop moving forward. An intercostal strain has hampered the veteran for a while now, and he missed 15 games after aggravating the ailment in early August. "When you're catching, you're staying loose and you're staying mobile," said Yost. "When you're [the DH], you have an at-bat and then sit." Although a slight reduction in at-bats will put a small dent in his value, Perez remains a top option across all formats.