MLB Player News

Grandal is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Despite knocking three homers over the last two games, Grandal will head to the bench for Thursday's series finale. Austin Barnes will take over behind the dish for him, while Grandal should be back in action Friday against the Rockies.

McCann went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners.

With tough lefty James Paxton on the hill for Seattle, McCann got the start over Alex Avila behind the dish. McCann is hitting an atrocious .182 this season, but he offers good power potential when he's in the lineup, evidenced by his eight home runs in 132 at-bats.

Jackson has gone 0-for-9 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in three games since returning from the 7-day DL.

While he's hitless in his first three games back following a month-long absence due to injury, Jackson is still slashing .284/.348/.543 on the season. He has 10 home runs in 178 at-bats (fifth most in the Florida State League), which is just one fewer than he managed in 381 at-bats at Low-A in the Mariners' organization last year. Now that Jackson's catching (as opposed to playing the corner outfield) and beginning to find himself at the plate, the former No. 6 overall pick's stock in dynasty leagues is trending back up.

Diaz will start behind the plate and bat fifth Thursday in Milwaukee.

With Francisco Cervelli back on the DL with concussion-like symptoms, Diaz figures to see an increase in playing time. The catcher is hitting .302 in 53 at-bats. Although that number figures to drop in a larger sample size, Diaz has shown that he can hit around .280 or so in the upper minor-league levels.

Stallings was called back up to the big-league roster Thursday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It wasn't a long minor-league stint for the catcher, who was just optioned to Triple-A on Sunday. He'll be replacing starter Francisco Cervelli on the roster, as Cervelli was placed on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion. Stallings, who is 2-for-7 with the Pirates this year, will be behind Elias Diaz and Chris Stewart at catcher and isn't expected to receive many at-bats.

Maldonado went 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of two-run home runs to account for all the Angels' offense in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees.

He's now got seven homers on the year, one short of his career high, and Maldonado's current .764 OPS would also be a new personal best. The 30-year-old catcher has never played more than 79 games in a season before, however, so don't be surprised if he wears down in the second half after having already seen action in 62 games before the end of June.

Grandal smashed a pair of solo homers in four at-bats against the Mets on Wednesday.

The powerful backstop's turned his slugging back on, as he has three homers in the last two games. If he's kicking around on your waiver wire, jump on the train and ride this hot streak.

Perez went 3-for-3 with a grand slam during Wednesday's win over Boston.

Perez's 15th blast of the season put Kansas City ahead for good and sealed Wednesday's victory. The backstop sports an impressive .292/.324/.533 slash line and is on track to post a career year. Additionally, he entered Wednesday's game leading all catchers in plate appearances (253), so Perez's fantasy floor is higher than most of his peers.

Stewart is in the lineup for Wednesday's game, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After spending three weeks on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, Stewart will be making his first start since late May when the Pirates face off with Milwaukee on Wednesday. The catcher will bat eighth in his return.

Gomes is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Gomes will get a breather after he was behind the dish for the first two games of the series. Roberto Perez will handle catching duties, working as the battery mate for right-hander Carlos Carrasco.